Don Henley, a founding member of the Eagles, and the band’s longtime manager, Irving Azoff, are being sued for millions in a convoluted case involving stolen song lyrics.
Glenn Horowitz, a controversial rare-books merchant, is suing the two for malicious prosecution, tortious interference, loss of services, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Horowitz is one of three guys indicted in 2022 with stealing handwritten lyrics from the Eagles’ breakthrough record “Hotel California.”
READ MORE: A$AP Rocky’s Manager Claims Ownership Of Gun Ammunition Discovered During A Home Raid
Horowitz accused Henley of selling the words to many tunes from the 1976 album, according to the complaint obtained by The Independent.
However, Henley has long maintained that the lyrics were his own property and that he never intended to give them up.
“I always knew those lyrics were my property,” Henley stated at the trial in February 2024. “I never gifted them or gave them to anybody to keep or sell.”
The singer then accused Horowitz, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, and memorabilia auctioneer Edward Kosinski of stealing the lyrics.
READ MORE: Kid Rock Curses At Fans And Exits The Stage Mid-Song ” Y’all, I’m Leaving”
The three individuals now say Henley and Azoff were aware that the lyric sheets were obtained legitimately, and that Henley caused irreparable harm by concealing this fact and proceeding with a case that was eventually dismissed last March.
“(Horowitz) is looking forward to his day in court,” his lawyer, Caitlin Robin, told The Independent. “He already cleared his name when the charges against him were dismissed but it’s time to hold those responsible who were involved in his malicious prosecution.”
Meanwhile, Henley and Azoff’s attorney, Dan Petrocelli, told The Independent that Henley “was a witness and a victim in a criminal trial brought by the Manhattan District Attorney after Glenn Horowitz’s formal indictment by a New York grand jury.”
“The indictment highlighted the dark underbelly of the memorabilia business that exploited the brazen, unauthorized taking and selling of Mr. Henley’s handwritten lyrics,” Mr. Petrocelli said. “The only malicious prosecution involved here is the filing of this case by Mr. Horowitz.”
READ MORE: kid Rock, Nickelback Slated To Headline Rock The Country 2025 “Small Town” Festival
The case’s complexities trace back decades, when Ed Sanders was contracted to write a never-published book about Henley and the Eagles.
Sanders was accused of stealing lyrics for “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” and “New Kid in Town,” all of which appear on the “Hotel California” album.
Last March, prosecutors claimed Henley provided Sanders the lyric sheets. Sanders eventually sold the lyrics to Horowitz for $1 million in 2005. Horowitz later sold the lyrics to Kosinski and Inciardi, who began auctioning some of the pages in 2012.
The case was dismissed because emails between Henley, Azoff, and their attorney revealed that they knew Sanders had legally obtained the lyrics sheets.
According to The Independent, Horowitz’s lawsuit alleges that Henley threatened him with prison time, drastically damaged his business, and caused Horowitz and his wife “severe emotional distress.”
The bookshop seeks $10 million in damages against Henley and his colleagues. Meanwhile, the Eagles team continues to paint Henley as a victim in the issue.
Radiant TV, offering to elevate your entertainment game! Movies, TV series, exclusive interviews, music, and more—download now on various devices, including iPhones, Androids, smart TVs, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and more.
