Eagles Singer Sues Over Handwritten 'Hotel California' Lyrics

Don Henley filed a lawsuit Friday demanding the return of his handwritten lyrics to the critically acclaimed hit, “Hotel California,” according to the Associated Press.

Henley claimed the 100 pages were stolen from him and vowed to take legal action in March when his criminal case against three men who tried to sell the development lyrics was dropped by a New York court.

“These 100 pages of personal words belong to Mr. Henley and his family, and he never authorized the defendants or anyone else to sell them for profit,” said Henley's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli.

Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski were initially charged with fourth-degree conspiracy for allegedly attempting to sell manuscripts that included “developmental lyrics to the Eagles song ‘Hotel California,’” according to the initial indictment filed by the New York District Attorney’s office in 2022.

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Don Henley has filed a lawsuit to get his original lyrics to “Hotel California” back. (Photo by Laura Roberts/Invision/AP, file)

The handwritten pages remain in the custody of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, according to the new lawsuit.

In March, prosecutors dropped the criminal case mid-trial citing new emails that defense attorneys said raised questions about the fairness of the trial. The emails came to light when Henley apparently decided last week to waive confidentiality, after he and other prosecution witnesses had already testified.

Dan Petrocelli, Henley’s newly hired attorney, told Fox News Digital in a statement via Henley’s representatives: “Attorney-client privilege is a fundamental safeguard in our legal system, and you should rarely, if ever, waive it to prosecute or defend a case. As the victim in this case, Mr. Henley has once again been subjected to this unjust outcome. He will pursue all of his rights in the civil courts.”

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According to the district attorney, the manuscripts are collectively valued at more than $1 million.

Henley testified in court in March against the three men accused of stealing the lyrics. (David Delgado)

Henley fought for decades to reclaim his own lyric pages. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Decades ago, Ed Sanders allegedly stole notepads from Eagles while working on an authorized book about the group in the 1970s. The biography was never published, but Sanders reportedly kept the handwritten work and later sold the pages to Horowitz, a rare book dealer, for $50 000 $.

Horowitz then sold pages to Inciardi, a former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator and collector of Kosinski memorabilia. Inciardi and Kosinski attempted to sell pages of the lyrics through Kosinski's company, Gotta Have Rock and Roll, but were stopped by Henley in 2012.

Henley then purchased the “original handwritten lyrics to the Eagles song 'Hotel California' written in Don Henley's handwriting” for $8,500 on April 25, 2012, according to the indictment.

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Two years later, Koskinski attempted to contact Sotheby's and sell “The Eagles' Handwritten Lyrics in Don Henley.” [sic] hand for New Kid In Town.” Shortly thereafter, Inciardi sent a similar email informing the auction house that the development lyrics for “Life in the Fast Lane” were also available for sale.

The Eagles included (left to right) Don Felder, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner. (RB/Redferns)

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“When Don Henley learned that Inciardi and Kosinski were trying to sell portions of the manuscripts, he filed police reports, told the defendants that the documents had been stolen, and demanded the return of his property,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said in a statement released with the charges in 2022.

“Rather than making efforts to ensure that they actually held rightful ownership, the defendants responded by engaging in a years-long campaign to prevent Henley from recovering the manuscripts.”

Throughout 2015, Kosinski and Inciardi continued to attempt to sell 13 pages of development lyrics for “Hotel California”. In December 2016, the prosecutor's office executed search warrants and recovered Henley's stolen manuscripts from Sotheby's and Kosinski's New Jersey residence, according to the prosecutor.

The Eagles were the most popular band of the 70s and their reunion tour in the 90s was also a great success. From left to right: Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner. (Henry Diltz/Corbis)

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“Shortly thereafter, Horowitz attempted to exploit the recent death of the founder Glenn Frey, member of the Eagles “To avoid criminal prosecution, he produced another false provenance statement, this time claiming that the documents came from Frey, now deceased,” the prosecutor said in a statement. “In an e-mail message, Horowitz observed that “[Frey] alas, is dead and identifying him as the source would make this story disappear once and for all. »