Eagles co-founder Don Henley has filed a lawsuit in New York seeking to recover his original handwritten 'Hotel California' manuscript, following the dismissal of criminal charges against three collectibles dealers who allegedly attempted to sell the documents.

Photo Credit: Steve Alexander / CC by 2.0

The 100-page manuscript, currently in the custody of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, contains personal lyric sheets that Henley claims were stolen. The civil complaint targets Craig Inciardi, a former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator, and rock memorabilia dealer Edward Kosinski.

The defendants' attorneys maintain that Henley gave the manuscript to a writer for an unrealized Eagles biography, who later sold it to Glenn Horowitz. Horowitz subsequently sold the documents to Inciardi and Kosinski, who attempted to auction some pages in 2012.

The criminal case was dismissed in March after Judge Curtis Farber determined that Henley had withheld crucial information. Over 6,000 pages of communications between Henley and his legal team were only revealed after a last-minute waiver of attorney-client privilege.

Henley's lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, states that the documents rightfully belong to Henley and his family, and were never authorized for sale. The defense attorneys have called the new lawsuit "baseless" and plan to counter-sue Henley for alleged misuse of the justice system.

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