Don Henley Completes Testimony in Stolen Eagles Lyrics Trial

Don Henley made a 3rd and last look in a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday, testifying in a legal case involving practically 100 pages of allegedly stolen Eagles lyrics from the Hotel California period.

Rare books collector Glenn Horowitz, former Roll & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock auctioneer Edward Kosinki have been charged with one depend every of conspiracy in the fourth diploma, which carries a most sentence of 4 years in jail. Horowitz has been individually charged with first-degree tried legal possession of stolen property, in addition to two counts of hindering prosecution. Inciardi and Kosinski are additionally charged with first-degree counts of legal possession.

Henley first turned conscious that lyric pages have been showing on public sale web sites in 2012. He purchased again pages for $8,500, however Henley selected to not transfer ahead with purchases when extra surfaced in 2014 and 2016. “I’d already been extorted once,” he mentioned throughout his first day of testimony on Monday. “I wasn’t going to do it again.”

READ MORE: Eagles Trial Reveals New Don Henley Teen Overdose Details

All of the paperwork may apparently be traced again to Ed Sanders, who was tasked with writing a ebook in regards to the Eagles in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Sanders reportedly bought 5 authorized pads of lyrics to Horowitz for $50,000, who in flip bought them to Inciardi and Kosinski for $65,000. Police reviews have been filed in 2012, 2014 and 2016, together with demand letters for the pages to be returned.

Henley answered questions from the defendants’ three attorneys on Monday and Tuesday, with the first concentrate on his conversations with Sanders. Henley maintained that he granted Sanders entry to numerous supplies on the time, together with the aforementioned lyric pages, however didn’t give Sanders permission to maintain the supplies or promote them. He mentioned this perception was primarily based on a 1979 contract between the Eagles and Sanders that allowed Sanders to buy the ebook manuscript to publishers but additionally stipulated that the content material remained the property of the band.

The protection has offered proof indicating that Henley willingly despatched Sanders materials at his house in Woodstock, New York, and that neither he nor anybody else in the Eagles camp requested for his or her return. (Henley acknowledged that he couldn’t recall whether or not or not this was the case.) They additionally asserted that the 1979 contract was by no means talked about when the problem of the pages arose in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Henley was requested quite a few questions on his relationship with medication in the ’70s, in addition to his conviction following a teen escort’s overdose at his house in 1980, calling the latter matter “a sideshow.”

He mentioned “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is not regulatory,” including: “I was always lucid when I did business.”

During cross-examination by Assistant District Attorney Aaron Ginandes on Wednesday, Henley was requested whether or not he wanted to assessment paperwork in 2012, 2014 or 2016 to find out if the pages have been stolen from him. Henley mentioned he didn’t “because I always knew those were my property.” Ginandes emphasised that the pages at all times legally belonged to Henley no matter the place they have been bodily positioned over time.

Henley was additionally requested by Horowitz’s lawyer Jonathan Bach if the 1979 contract included a timeline for the return of the supplies. Henley confirmed that it didn’t, however that he had a “common sense understanding that he would return the materials once he was done with them.”

One of Henley’s attorneys, Thomas Jirgal, was referred to as as a witness on Wednesday to debate interactions with Sotheby’s after they listed the lyric pages for public sale in 2016. He testified that he didn’t present a replica of the 1979 contract to Sotheby’s at the moment, and that he couldn’t recall when a replica of the settlement was discovered. Jirgal added that Sotheby’s didn’t ask for proof proving that Henley was the rightful proprietor, noting that he would have offered that if requested.

It’s unclear how lengthy the trial will final. Henley is scheduled to renew touring with the Eagles on March 1 in Hollywood, Florida.