A New York judge has dismissed a malicious prosecution lawsuit brought against Don Henley of The Eagles and his long-time manager, Irving Azoff. The case stemmed from a criminal investigation involving the alleged theft of handwritten notes and lyrics from the Eagles’ 1977 classic hit “Hotel California” and its follow-up “Life In The Fast Lane.”
The lawsuit, filed by rare book dealer Glenn Horowitz, claimed that Henley and Azoff had orchestrated a malicious prosecution by manipulating New York prosecutors. This case emerged after Horowitz and other experts in the collectables field were accused in 2022 of attempting to sell the handwritten lyrics, which were thought to be worth over $1 million (£792,000).
The lyrics were originally obtained by Horowitz from Ed Sanders, an author who had been hired by The Eagles in the late ’70s to write a biography. Sanders had sold the handwritten notes to Horowitz for $50,000 (£39,609) in 2005, long before the theft allegations arose.
In the previous case, Henley had argued that the lyric sheets were stolen. However, a judge dropped the charges against the three accused collectables experts, claiming that Henley and Azoff had manipulated evidence in an effort to hide information that would have cleared the accused. Despite these findings, Henley maintained that the documents were, in fact, stolen.
In response to the criminal case’s dismissal, Horowitz sued Henley and Azoff for malicious prosecution, claiming they had improperly influenced prosecutors. However, this recent ruling from a New York court sided with Henley and Azoff, dismissing Horowitz’s lawsuit as legally flawed.
Justice Kathleen Waterman-Marshall, who ruled on the case, explained that there was ample probable cause for the prosecution to bring charges against Horowitz, noting that a grand jury had indicted him based on a thorough investigation. However, she stated that the dismissal of the case during trial was not a result of “bad faith conduct” by Henley and Azoff.
Henley’s lawyer, Dan Petrocelli, stated: “The only malicious prosecution here is Horowitz’s lawsuit, which the court rightly dismissed.” On the other hand, Horowitz’s lawyer, Caitlin Robin, indicated plans to appeal the ruling and revealed that Horowitz is also pursuing a separate lawsuit against the city of New York for malicious prosecution.
Key Legal Events Timeline:
| Date | Event | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Ed Sanders sells handwritten lyrics to Horowitz | Lyrics are legally obtained by Horowitz for $50,000 |
| 2022 | Theft allegations and attempted sale of lyrics | Horowitz and others accused of attempting to sell them |
| March 2023 | Dismissal of criminal charges against experts | Case dropped after Henley accused of withholding evidence |
| November 2025 | Malicious prosecution lawsuit dismissed | Court sides with Henley and Azoff; case dismissed |
In the aftermath of this case, it is clear that Henley and Azoff are determined to protect their reputation. However, with Horowitz continuing to pursue legal action, this long-running dispute is far from over.