Tom Petty Estate, Auction House Resolve Issue Over ‘Stolen’ Items
The Tom Petty estate and an auction house they claimed was offering stolen property that belonged to the late singer have settled their dispute without going to court.
In a joint statement Friday, RR Auction and the Petty family announced that “all concerns regarding the recent offering of personal clothing and items of the rock star have been resolved without litigation.”
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In May, the Petty estate threatened legal action against Boston-based RR Auction after a series of items — including Petty’s “clothes, autographed items and limited editions” — were “allegedly stolen” from the Petty archives and then offered to the auction house by an undisclosed cosigner.
“We believe RR Auction, headquartered in Boston, is offering stolen Tom Petty memorabilia with a completely false provenance inaccurate to fact and in complete denial of clear evidence they have been presented,” the family said in a statement at the time. “They will not disclose the cosigner who has provided these items or how they were acquired. But they are clearly stolen, there is no other word for it.”
The lots of Petty items were withdrawn from the auction block following the legal threat and pending an investigation. On Friday, both sides said that “RR Auction facilitated the safe return of the items, which have been returned to the Petty family’s secure archives, and there is currently no belief RR Auction committed or knew of any wrongdoing regarding the disputed ownership of the items.”
Additionally, “To show their gratitude, the family has agreed to a select few of the belongings to be offered for auction through RR Auction. The family supports the upcoming sale and verifies the authenticity of the items to be offered.”
No details about who “stole” the items and how were revealed.
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