Devendra Kumar
Don Henley, the co-founder of the Eagles, took the stand in court to deny allegations that he gave away handwritten pages of draft lyrics to Hotel California and other Eagles hits. According to Henley, the lyrics are extremely personal and private, which is why he was shocked when they began surfacing at auctions in 2012. The handwritten pages were stolen from his barn in Malibu, California, and are now at the center of a criminal trial surrounding the theft of the documents. The trial involves three collectibles experts who purchased the pages from a writer who worked with the Eagles on a never-published band biography. The defense maintains that Henley gave the documents willingly to the author, but Henley disputes this claim.
Under cross-examination, Henley acknowledged that he could not recall all of his conversations with the writer, Ed Sanders, and could not remember whether he gave permission to take the documents off the property. However, Henley maintained that he told Sanders he could look at the pages in his barn, ideally at a breakfast table in an apartment upstairs, but never gave him permission to keep them. The stolen lyrics sheets include handwritten pages of draft lyrics for multiple songs on the Hotel California album, including Life In The Fast Lane, New Kid In Town, and the title track.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of criminally possessing stolen property, and their lawyers argue that there was nothing illegal in what happened to the lyrics sheets. During the trial, Henley’s 1980 arrest was brought up, in which he was found with cocaine, quaaludes, marijuana, and a naked 16-year-old girl suffering from an overdose at his Los Angeles home. Henley pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was sentenced to probation and a fine. Henley testified that he had been depressed about the Eagles’ breakup and had sought an escape by calling for a sex worker that night.
Defense lawyers are expected to question Henley about his memory and whether he gave the documents to the author willingly. The trial is ongoing, with Henley’s testimony contradicting the defense’s claims that he gave the lyrics sheets to the author. Henley’s memories of the events surrounding the theft are sketchy, and he cannot recall every conversation he had with Sanders. Despite this, Henley remains adamant that he did not give the documents away willingly, and the trial will continue to explore the dispute over the stolen lyrics sheets.