Prosecutors abruptly ended the case against three collectible experts accused of conspiring to possess stolen property of The Eagles' "Hotel California" lyrics' drafts.
On Wednesday, March 6, The Associated Press published a report confirming the sudden end of the trial after the prosecutors reportedly decided not to proceed with the case. The court said the newly available emails raised questions about the trial's fairness as it headed into its third week.
The Eagles' "Hotel California" Lyrics Case Explored
In a letter to Judge Curtis Farber, Assistant District Attorney Aaron Ginandes said the case was brought up because it could prove the defendant's guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt."
"Nevertheless, the prosecution's confidence in the merits of this case is not enough - the People's evidence must be fully presented and rigorously tested." Farber agreed with the decision and dismissed the case," Ginandes continued, per Rolling Stone.
Prosecutors agreed the defense lawyers got blindsided by the 6,000 pages of communications between The Eagles co-founder Don Henley and his lawyers, and the material was only given to both sides days before the case was dropped.
After the turn of events, Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski were cleared of all charges.
The case involved 100 pages of documents The Eagles used to create its hit 1976 album, "Hotel California."
The defendants said they were the rightful owners of the papers and dismissed the claims they were stolen by anyone.
Don Henley Is Not Done With the Case
Following the decision, a lawyer for Henley clarified that the musician was not done fighting in court.
"The attorney-client privilege is a foundational guardrail in our justice system, and rarely, if ever, should you have to forsake it to prosecute or defend a case. As the victim in this case, Mr. Henley has once again been victimized by this unjust outcome. He will pursue all his rights in the civil courts," Dan Petrocelli told Fox News.
Henley previously testified to the court and clarified that the papers were always his property since he "gifted them or gave them to anybody to keep or sell."
Meanwhile, a lawyer for Kosinski informed AP about their plan to "evaluate next steps," which was to build back their reputations.
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