This is The Legal Beat, the weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: a stunning early end to Eagles frontman Don Henley’s criminal trial over allegedly stolen notes; Copyright case filed by Bad Bunny against fan who posted concert footage on YouTube; Linkin Park hits back at a lawsuit filed by a man briefly in the band; And much more.
The Big Story: The Curious Case of Don Henley’s Stolen Notes
Weeks after a blockbuster trial on charges that three men conspired to sell stolen pages of notes made by Eagles frontman Don Henley while writing “Hotel California,” Manhattan lawyers dropped a bombshell last week: Maybe the stolen notes were never stolen. place?
Of course, that was the primary refrain for the defendants all along. Rare book dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and memorabilia auctioneer Edward Kosinski argued from the start that the notes were given to a journalist in the 1970s. Was writing a book about eagles. At the start of the trial last month, one of his lawyers said prosecutors had “distorted history” to charge three “innocent men” and “will apologize at the end of this case.”
In a stunning hearing Wednesday — midway through the trial, after Henley and longtime manager Irving Azoff had already testified — the district attorney’s office didn’t quite apologize, but did Warn the judge that he will drop the charges against the three men. What happened to the sudden reversal? Discovery of new evidence that Hanley had previously withheld under attorney-client privilege dealt directly with the key question of whether some of the notes were stolen.
The judge was none too pleased, stating that Henley and Azoff had “chosen to obscure and conceal information which they believed would harm their position that the song sheets had been stolen.” He also chided prosecutors for being “manipulated” into bringing the charges, although he praised them for “eating a piece of humble pie” after new evidence came to light.
After the stunning collapse of the case and the judge’s statements, Henley’s attorney responded on his behalf, saying the rock star “suffered this unjust result” and will “pursue all of his rights in the civil courts.” A spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment.
For all the details, read our full story — featuring the backstory of the case, all the key quotes from the judge and what defense attorneys had to say about the abrupt dismissal.
Other top stories this week…
The Twitter Music case survived – A federal judge ruled that music publishers can proceed with a copyright lawsuit filed against X Corp. over allegations of widespread copyright infringement on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The judge dismissed key parts of the case, but allowed some of the lawsuit’s main allegations — that X essentially enabled illegal behavior by its users by refusing to crack down on them — to go forward.
Sony responds to the bias suit – Sony Music has hit back at a lawsuit filed by a former assistant to Columbia Records chief executive Ron Perry alleging the company discriminated against white job applicants, arguing that the claims were “contradictory and false” and only “out to harass his ex.” is designed. to employ.” The new case comes amid increased scrutiny of race-conscious corporate diversity practices following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling outlawing so-called affirmative action in college admissions.
Lizzo case on ice right now – A bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Lizzo by three of his former backup dancers will be on hold for the immediate future, after a Los Angeles judge stayed all proceedings while appealing a recent ruling. Lizzo is challenging a decision earlier this year that refused to dismiss the case under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
Bad Bunny’s Concert Case – A superstar Puerto Rican rapper has filed a lawsuit against a concertgoer who posted videos from a recent show to YouTube, arguing that he was essentially forced to sue after the alleged bootlegger demanded that YouTube keep the clips online. The case highlights the takedown process under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which allows accused infringers to repost their content if they choose — but also exposes them to the Bad Bunny lawsuit filed this week.
Is YouTube ‘union-busting’? – Controversy has erupted over the sudden firing earlier this month of more than three dozen YouTube Music contract workers who voted to form a union last year. Workers who oversee content for the music-streaming service’s 80 million subscribers have called the move “union-busting” and illegal retaliation against their right to bargain collectively. But Google and subcontractor Cognizant say “no one was laid off” and that the contract with YouTube only “expired at its natural end date.”
Hagar’s Cantina Clash – Sammy Hagar won a preliminary injunction barring the allegedly unauthorized Hollywood location of his Cabo Wabo Cantina from continuing to use the chain’s name and branding while his dispute plays out in court. The judge barred the alleged rogue franchisee from publicly representing that “in any event, the restaurant is an authentic Cabo Wabo Cantina restaurant.”
Time is a valuable commodity – Linkin Park has asked a federal judge to drop a lawsuit accusing it of refusing to pay royalties to a former bassist who played briefly with the band in the late 1990s, arguing the lawsuit is “riddled with flaws.” Chief among them? that such allegations have been denied for “more than two decades” and that the statute of limitations on them has thus “long expired.”
