Eagles co-founder Don Henley is expected to testify at the trial in Manhattan, New York, between the band’s tour dates, with the next shows planned for Florida in March.
A criminal trial involving allegedly ill-gotten handwritten lyrics to the classic rock song Hotel California, as well as other favourites by the Eagles, has begun in New York.
The unusual case concerns about 100 pages of drafts featuring the words to songs from the Hotel California album, which was released in 1976 and is the third-biggest selling album ever in the US.
Rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, and memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski are accused of scheming to thwart Eagles co-founder Don Henley’s efforts to reclaim the documents, and face charges including conspiracy to possess stolen property.
They all deny the charges and have pleaded not guilty.
The trial got under way in Manhattan on Wednesday, with district attorney Nicholas Penfold telling the court in his opening statement: „The defendants were not businessmen acting in good faith, but criminal actors.“
He said they „deceived and manipulated to try to frustrate“ Henley’s efforts to recover manuscripts that were rightfully his.
