New York Court Dismisses Malicious Prosecution Lawsuit Against Eagles Singer Don Henley Over Stolen Lyrics
A New York State Supreme Court judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz against Eagles singer Don Henley, accusing the musician of malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The ruling comes after prosecutors abandoned their criminal case against Horowitz last year amid new information that had shed doubt on his guilt.
Horowitz's lawyer claims that Henley pursued him for months with false allegations over stolen lyrics from Eagles songs like "Hotel California," which were sold to a memorabilia dealer in 2012. However, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office maintains that there was sufficient probable cause to pursue Horowitz based on an independent investigation that found new evidence exculpating the bookseller.
In her ruling, Judge Kathleen Waterman-Marshall stated that Henley's report of stolen property "does not constitute outrageous conduct" that would be considered intentional infliction of emotional distress. She also noted that the prosecution's dismissal was due to the inability of Horowitz's defense to present certain information, rather than any improper motive by Henley or his representatives.
Henley has maintained that he owned the lyrics, which were part of a contract with writer Ed Sanders, who received them in the late 1970s. The rocker claims that he had no right to sell them as Horowitz did.
The decision allows Henley and his manager Irving Azoff to move forward with their own lawsuits against Horowitz, while also maintaining custody over the handwritten lyrics sheets pending a New York court's final decision on ownership.
A New York State Supreme Court judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz against Eagles singer Don Henley, accusing the musician of malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The ruling comes after prosecutors abandoned their criminal case against Horowitz last year amid new information that had shed doubt on his guilt.
Horowitz's lawyer claims that Henley pursued him for months with false allegations over stolen lyrics from Eagles songs like "Hotel California," which were sold to a memorabilia dealer in 2012. However, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office maintains that there was sufficient probable cause to pursue Horowitz based on an independent investigation that found new evidence exculpating the bookseller.
In her ruling, Judge Kathleen Waterman-Marshall stated that Henley's report of stolen property "does not constitute outrageous conduct" that would be considered intentional infliction of emotional distress. She also noted that the prosecution's dismissal was due to the inability of Horowitz's defense to present certain information, rather than any improper motive by Henley or his representatives.
Henley has maintained that he owned the lyrics, which were part of a contract with writer Ed Sanders, who received them in the late 1970s. The rocker claims that he had no right to sell them as Horowitz did.
The decision allows Henley and his manager Irving Azoff to move forward with their own lawsuits against Horowitz, while also maintaining custody over the handwritten lyrics sheets pending a New York court's final decision on ownership.
I'm so done with this whole thing. Like, come on Glenn Horowitz, you're not even getting paid for those "stolen" lyrics... and Don Henley is just trying to protect his intellectual property 
. The fact that the prosecutors dropped the case because they were having second thoughts doesn't change the fact that Horowitz's lawyer was being super aggressive with these accusations. It's all about the Benjamins, right? 
And let's be real, if Don Henley really did write those lyrics in the late 70s, he should have gotten some kind of credit or payment for it back then... now it's just a mess 
.
. Don't get me wrong, I think Glenn Horowitz is being super salty about the whole thing 
. Can't they see that this whole thing has been blown way out of proportion? And what really grinds my gears is that now Henley gets to sue Horowitz for emotional distress... talk about taking the cake 
!
Don Henley is like "hey I own these lyrics" and Glenn Horowitz is all "no way Jose" 
. judge waterman-marshall seems pretty cool tho, gave a fair verdict 
. but honestly who needs this drama? 
. Anyway, it's not like this is going to affect my music playlist - "Hotel California" will still be one of the best songs ever 
& gets to keep his precious lyrics 
. But honestly, I think the judge made the right call here - there just wasn't enough evidence to back up Horowitz's claims 
.
. And let's be real, the DA's office would've already dropped the case if they didn't have solid proof 
.
.
I mean, he's been fighting for his rights as a songwriter and it sounds like the court finally recognized that. It's also pretty interesting that there were new discoveries that made prosecutors re-think their case against Horowitz... it just goes to show how things can change in an instant! 
Plus, now Don Henley gets to own up those handwritten lyrics sheets 
.
It's crazy that someone could accuse another person of stealing lyrics and then have it all fall apart like this. And poor Ed Sanders, he was just a writer who got caught up in something bigger than himself.
. but at the same time, it's kinda sus that horowitz was pursuing him with these malicious allegations for months. like, what's going on here? 
. if there was really enough evidence to pursue horowitz in the first place, why did the manhattan district attorney's office just drop it out of the blue? 
. but one thing's for sure: this whole ordeal is a wild ride 
and poor irving azoff got dragged into this too