Eagles and a criminal case? Well, that’s news. In a curious turn of events, a criminal case involving handwritten lyrics of&nbsp;the classic rock hit song “Hotel California” and other favourite songs from the massively popular rock band Eagles have&nbsp;gone to trial in New York.&nbsp;

Those accused of theft of the lyrics are not your regular conmen but well-known personalities from the collectibles world. They have been accused by Eagles co-founder Don Henley of stealing the lyrics and plotting to sell them off for a hefty sum.&nbsp;

The trial which began on Wednesday (Feb 21) concerns 80 pages of drafts of the words to songs from the famous album of which “Hotel California” is a part. The album was released in 1976 and is today the third-biggest-selling disc ever in the US. The allegedly stolen documents include lyrics for songs like "Life in the Fast Lane," "New Kid in Town" and, "Hotel California”.

“Hotel California” is one of the most streamed songs from the Eagles, skyrocketing the rock band’s popularity worldwide. The Grammy-winning song is part of the playlists of every rock lover.&nbsp;

<img alt="Eagles" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a62f9fc2-98c3-481c-b2c8-df5648a4da4e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/HORIZONS%20%2851%29_0.jpg" />

<h2>So who stole the “Hotel California” lyrics?</h2>

Three famous people Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi, and Edward Kosinski are accused of stealing the handwritten lyrics. As the lawsuit was filed, they pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and other charges levelled against them. Who are these people, you ask? Glenn is a rare book dealer, Craig is a former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator and Edward is a widely known memorabilia seller who deals with authentic exotic and vintage things, mostly concerning the music world.&nbsp;

So how did they get accused of theft? The case was brought in 2022 when some of the pages from the documents (concerning lyrics) started sprucing up for auction. Eagles co-founder Don Henley took notice. He bought some of the material for $8,500 but also reported the documents stolen, according to court filings.

At the time, the documents having the lyrics were in the hands of Edward and Craig, who had brought the same from Glenn Horowitz. Glenn had meanwhile (according to court documents) purchased them in 2005 from Ed Sanders, a writer who had worked with the Eagles on a band biography that was shelved in the early '80s. Ed Sanders is also known for having founded a rock group the Fugs, (Ed isn't charged in the case so far).

Tracing the lyrics documents, Ed Sanders told Glenn Horowitz that Don Henley’s assistant had mailed along any documents he wanted for the biography. It was however mentioned that the writer was worried at the time that Henley "might conceivably be upset" if they were sold, according to emails recounted in the indictment.

As the trial began, serious doubts were raised in the court on how Ed came to own these documents with the lyrics – whether he acquired them legally and had the right to sell them.&nbsp;

<img alt="Eagles" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e5c7d84e-108f-495e-abbe-e035fba8f834" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/HORIZONS%20%2852%29_0.jpg" />

While the court first started doubting Ed Sanders’ intention, it came to notice that Glenn, Craig and Edward too had contradictory statements as to how they came to possess these lyrics. According to the indictment, the trio gave different versions of how they acquired the documents from Ed Sanders. The explanations ranged over the next five years from Sanders finding them abandoned in a backstage dressing room to the writer getting them from Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, who died in 2016.

So it all boils down to no one truly remembering where the documents were bought from originally and how Ed found them before handing them to Glenn, Craig and Edward.&nbsp;

Listen to the song here:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FVsbvFkhzY4" title="Eagles - &quot;Hotel California&quot; | 1998 Induction" width="1280"></iframe>

<h2>There’s more to this trial than what meets the eye – Missing clue in Eagles biography</h2>

An important link to this trial is an unpublished Eagles biography by Ed Sanders. The biography was to detail the band’s 1980 breakup. Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey had hired a friend in 1979 to write a band biography for $25,000 and enjoyed extensive access.&nbsp;

Eagles manager Irving Azoff, testified that band’s co-founders disliked the manuscript. The project was ultimately stalled but by then this person got to know of the impending split that was not public knowledge at the time. Ed Sanders tried using this to his knowledge and asked Irving for "a substantial amount of money” as mentioned in a 1982 letter. The letter said that the manager should pay him this sum since he’d "behaved with great reserve" by not approaching a major magazine with a story about the Eagles' split.

This worried the band members since&nbsp;Glenn Frey and Don Henley were working on their solo careers amid a split, and they didn’t want the news of the split to affect their new ventures. They ultimately paid Sanders about $75,000 and agreed to let him look for a publisher, comfortable that any book still would need the band's approval under his 1979 contract, Azoff said. The book never found a publisher. Sanders' contract said the Eagles owned any material they furnished to him for the book.&nbsp;

Here’s a little snippet of the much-in-news “Hotel California” lyrics:

“On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair 
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air 
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light 
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim 
I had to stop for the night 
There she stood in the doorway 
I heard the mission bell\ 
And I was thinking to myself 
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell" 
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way 
There were voices down the corridor 
I thought I heard them say 
Welcome to the Hotel California”

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Eagles and a criminal case? Well, that’s news. In a curious turn of events, a criminal case involving handwritten lyrics of the classic rock hit song “Hotel California” and other favourite songs from the massively popular rock band Eagles have gone to trial in New York.

Eagles and a criminal case? Well, that’s news. In a curious turn of events, a criminal case involving handwritten lyrics of the classic rock hit song “Hotel California” and other favourite songs from the massively popular rock band Eagles have gone to trial in New York. Those accused of theft of the lyrics are not your regular conmen but well-known personalities from the collectibles world. They have been accused by Eagles co-founder Don Henley of stealing the lyrics and plotting to sell them off for a hefty sum. The trial which began on Wednesday (Feb 21) concerns 80 pages of drafts of the words to songs from the famous album of which “Hotel California” is a part. The album was released in 1976 and is today the third-biggest-selling disc ever in the US. The allegedly stolen documents include lyrics for songs like "Life in the Fast Lane," "New Kid in Town" and, "Hotel California”. “Hotel California” is one of the most streamed songs from the Eagles, skyrocketing the rock band’s popularity worldwide. The Grammy-winning song is part of the playlists of every rock lover. So who stole the “Hotel California” lyrics? Three famous people Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi, and Edward Kosinski are accused of stealing the handwritten lyrics. As the lawsuit was filed, they pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and other charges levelled against them. Who are these people, you ask? Glenn is a rare book dealer, Craig is a former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator and Edward is a widely known memorabilia seller who deals with authentic exotic and vintage things, mostly concerning the music world. So how did they get accused of theft? The case was brought in 2022 when some of the pages from the documents (concerning lyrics) started sprucing up for auction. Eagles co-founder Don Henley took notice. He bought some of the material for $8,500 but also reported the documents stolen, according to court filings. At the time, the documents having the lyrics were in the hands of Edward and Craig, who had brought the same from Glenn Horowitz. Glenn had meanwhile (according to court documents) purchased them in 2005 from Ed Sanders, a writer who had worked with the Eagles on a band biography that was shelved in the early '80s. Ed Sanders is also known for having founded a rock group the Fugs, (Ed isn't charged in the case so far). Tracing the lyrics documents, Ed Sanders told Glenn Horowitz that Don Henley’s assistant had mailed along any documents he wanted for the biography. It was however mentioned that the writer was worried at the time that Henley "might conceivably be upset" if they were sold, according to emails recounted in the indictment. As the trial began, serious doubts were raised in the court on how Ed came to own these documents with the lyrics – whether he acquired them legally and had the right to sell them. While the court first started doubting Ed Sanders’ intention, it came to notice that Glenn, Craig and Edward too had contradictory statements as to how they came to possess these lyrics. According to the indictment, the trio gave different versions of how they acquired the documents from Ed Sanders. The explanations ranged over the next five years from Sanders finding them abandoned in a backstage dressing room to the writer getting them from Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, who died in 2016. So it all boils down to no one truly remembering where the documents were bought from originally and how Ed found them before handing them to Glenn, Craig and Edward. Listen to the song here: There’s more to this trial than what meets the eye – Missing clue in Eagles biography An important link to this trial is an unpublished Eagles biography by Ed Sanders. The biography was to detail the band’s 1980 breakup. Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey had hired a friend in 1979 to write a band biography for $25,000 and enjoyed extensive access. Eagles manager Irving Azoff, testified that band’s co-founders disliked the manuscript. The project was ultimately stalled but by then this person got to know of the impending split that was not public knowledge at the time. Ed Sanders tried using this to his knowledge and asked Irving for "a substantial amount of money” as mentioned in a 1982 letter. The letter said that the manager should pay him this sum since he’d "behaved with great reserve" by not approaching a major magazine with a story about the Eagles' split. This worried the band members since Glenn Frey and Don Henley were working on their solo careers amid a split, and they didn’t want the news of the split to affect their new ventures. They ultimately paid Sanders about $75,000 and agreed to let him look for a publisher, comfortable that any book still would need the band's approval under his 1979 contract, Azoff said. The book never found a publisher. Sanders' contract said the Eagles owned any material they furnished to him for the book. Here’s a little snippet of the much-in-news “Hotel California” lyrics: “On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night There she stood in the doorway I heard the mission bell\ And I was thinking to myself "This could be Heaven or this could be Hell" Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way There were voices down the corridor I thought I heard them say Welcome to the Hotel California” Also read: Taylor Swift's Sydney concert delayed after terrible rain storm and lighting Beyonce creates Billboard history with her new country song Texas Hold Em

Explained: What's  Eagles' 'Hotel California' stolen lyrics trial all about?

A criminal case involving handwritten lyrics to the classic rock megahit “Hotel California” and other Eagles favorites went to trial Wednesday in New York. Watch in for more details!

Trial begins over handwritten lyrics of 'Hotel California' case

Three men have been criminally charged in Manhattan with possessing about 100 pages stolen from the singer Don Henley of handwritten notes and lyrics for the Eagles' blockbuster 1976 album "Hotel California."&nbsp;

Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski were accused on Tuesday of trying to sell the materials, worth more than $1 million, and lying to auction houses, prospective buyers and law enforcement about how they obtained them.&nbsp;

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the materials include lyrics to the songs "Hotel California," "Life in the Fast Lane" and "New Kid In Town," with many of the lyrics recovered through warrants.&nbsp;

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Horowitz, 66, of Manhattan; Inciardi, 58, of Brooklyn, and Kosinski, 59, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and criminal possession charges, and Horowitz to hindering prosecution.&nbsp;

In a joint statement, their lawyers said Bragg's office "alleges criminality where none exists and unfairly tarnishes the reputations of well-respected professionals. We will fight these unjustified charges vigorously. These men are innocent."&nbsp;

Prosecutors said a prospective Eagles biographer had stolen the materials in the late 1970s, and sold them to Horowitz, a rare books dealer, in 2005.&nbsp;

Horowitz then allegedly sold the materials to Inciardi and Kosinski, who in turn tried selling them at Christie's and Sotheby's or coercing Henley into buying them back.&nbsp;

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The indictment contains dozens of emails about the defendants' alleged 7-1/2-year scheme, including Horowitz's suggestion that he pretend Eagles singer Glenn Frey had given him the stolen lyrics.&nbsp;

Frey "is dead and identifying him as (the) source would make this go away once and for all," Horowitz allegedly wrote in February 2017, 13 months after Frey's death.&nbsp;

In a statement, Eagles manager Irving Azoff said no one has a right to profit from "the outright theft of irreplaceable pieces of musical history. ...&nbsp;We look forward to the return of Don's property."&nbsp;

The song "Hotel California" is known for abstract lyrics that Henley has said describe American excess, and a long guitar outro from Don Felder and Joe Walsh. It won the 1977 Grammy award for record of the year.&nbsp;

In 2014, Bob Dylan's handwritten lyrics to "Like a Rolling Stone" fetched a record $2 million at Sotheby's.&nbsp;

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Three men have been criminally charged in Manhattan with possessing about 100 pages stolen from the singer Don Henley of handwritten notes and lyrics for the Eagles' blockbuster 1976 album "Hotel California.

Three men have been criminally charged in Manhattan with possessing about 100 pages stolen from the singer Don Henley of handwritten notes and lyrics for the Eagles' blockbuster 1976 album "Hotel California." Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski were accused on Tuesday of trying to sell the materials, worth more than $1 million, and lying to auction houses, prospective buyers and law enforcement about how they obtained them. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the materials include lyrics to the songs "Hotel California," "Life in the Fast Lane" and "New Kid In Town," with many of the lyrics recovered through warrants. ALSO READ | Emmy Awards 2022: 'Succession', 'Ted Lasso' lead nominations; here's the complete list Horowitz, 66, of Manhattan; Inciardi, 58, of Brooklyn, and Kosinski, 59, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and criminal possession charges, and Horowitz to hindering prosecution. In a joint statement, their lawyers said Bragg's office "alleges criminality where none exists and unfairly tarnishes the reputations of well-respected professionals. We will fight these unjustified charges vigorously. These men are innocent." Prosecutors said a prospective Eagles biographer had stolen the materials in the late 1970s, and sold them to Horowitz, a rare books dealer, in 2005. Horowitz then allegedly sold the materials to Inciardi and Kosinski, who in turn tried selling them at Christie's and Sotheby's or coercing Henley into buying them back. ALSO READ | Lionsgate to finance 'Creepers' adaptation from 'Rambo' creator The indictment contains dozens of emails about the defendants' alleged 7-1/2-year scheme, including Horowitz's suggestion that he pretend Eagles singer Glenn Frey had given him the stolen lyrics. Frey "is dead and identifying him as (the) source would make this go away once and for all," Horowitz allegedly wrote in February 2017, 13 months after Frey's death. In a statement, Eagles manager Irving Azoff said no one has a right to profit from "the outright theft of irreplaceable pieces of musical history. ... We look forward to the return of Don's property." The song "Hotel California" is known for abstract lyrics that Henley has said describe American excess, and a long guitar outro from Don Felder and Joe Walsh. It won the 1977 Grammy award for record of the year. In 2014, Bob Dylan's handwritten lyrics to "Like a Rolling Stone" fetched a record $2 million at Sotheby's. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Three men charged over stolen lyrics for Eagles' 'Hotel California'

The Eagles have filed a lawsuit accusing the owners of a Mexico hotel of using the name &quot;Hotel California,&quot; arguably the band&#39;s most famous song, without permission.

In a complaint filed late Monday, the Eagles said owners of the 11-room Todos Santos hotel in Baja California Sur &quot;actively encourage&quot; guests to believe the hotel is associated with the band, in order to sell t-shirts and other merchandise, and make guests feel welcome.

This allegedly included piping &quot;Hotel California&quot; and other Eagles songs through the hotel sound system, and selling t-shirts in that refer to the hotel as &quot;legendary,&quot; resulting in apparent confusion among many guests who posted online reviews.

The Eagles also noted that the defendant Hotel California Baja LLC has applied with the US&nbsp;Patent and Trademark Office to register the Hotel California name.

&quot;Defendants lead U.S. consumers to believe that the Todos Santos Hotel is associated with the Eagles and, among other things, served as the inspiration for the lyrics in &#39;Hotel California,&#39; which is false,&quot; the complaint said.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court seeks a variety of damages and a halt to any infringement.

Neither the hotel nor the lawyer who filed its trademark application immediately responded on Tuesday to requests for comment.

The Todos Santos hotel was named Hotel California when it opened in 1950, but went through a series of name changes before a Canadian couple, John and Debbie Stewart, bought it in 2001, and according to the Eagles began using the original name in marketing. Its website is ((http://hotelcaliforniabaja.com/)).

&quot;Hotel California&quot; is the title track from the 1976 Eagles album of the same name, and won the 1977 Grammy award for record of the year.

It is known for its long guitar outro featuring Don Felder and Joe Walsh, and complex lyrics sung by Don Henley.

In an interview with CBS News last year, Henley said the song is about &quot;a journey from innocence to experience. It&#39;s not really about California; it&#39;s about America.&quot;

The case is Eagles Ltd v Hotel California Baja LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 17-03276. 
 
(Reuters)

 
&nbsp;

The Eagles said owners of the Todos Santos hotel in Mexico 'actively encourage' guests to believe the hotel is associated with the band

The Eagles have filed a lawsuit accusing the owners of a Mexico hotel of using the name "Hotel California," arguably the band's most famous song, without permission. In a complaint filed late Monday, the Eagles said owners of the 11-room Todos Santos hotel in Baja California Sur "actively encourage" guests to believe the hotel is associated with the band, in order to sell t-shirts and other merchandise, and make guests feel welcome. This allegedly included piping "Hotel California" and other Eagles songs through the hotel sound system, and selling t-shirts in that refer to the hotel as "legendary," resulting in apparent confusion among many guests who posted online reviews. The Eagles also noted that the defendant Hotel California Baja LLC has applied with the US Patent and Trademark Office to register the Hotel California name. "Defendants lead U.S. consumers to believe that the Todos Santos Hotel is associated with the Eagles and, among other things, served as the inspiration for the lyrics in 'Hotel California,' which is false," the complaint said. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court seeks a variety of damages and a halt to any infringement. Neither the hotel nor the lawyer who filed its trademark application immediately responded on Tuesday to requests for comment. The Todos Santos hotel was named Hotel California when it opened in 1950, but went through a series of name changes before a Canadian couple, John and Debbie Stewart, bought it in 2001, and according to the Eagles began using the original name in marketing. Its website is ((http://hotelcaliforniabaja.com/)). "Hotel California" is the title track from the 1976 Eagles album of the same name, and won the 1977 Grammy award for record of the year. It is known for its long guitar outro featuring Don Felder and Joe Walsh, and complex lyrics sung by Don Henley. In an interview with CBS News last year, Henley said the song is about "a journey from innocence to experience. It's not really about California; it's about America." The case is Eagles Ltd v Hotel California Baja LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 17-03276. (Reuters)

The Eagles sue 'Hotel California'