Don Henley says lyrics to ‘Hotel California’ and other Eagles songs were always his sole property

By JENNIFER PELTZ
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Don Henley has finished telling a court why he contends that drafts of lyrics to “Hotel California” and other classic Eagles songs should never have shown up at auctions. The Eagles co-founder wrapped up his testimony Wednesday at the criminal trial of three collectibles experts charged with a scheme involving roughly 100 handwritten pages. Prosecutors say the three circulated bogus stories about the documents’ ownership history in order to peddle them and parry Henley’s demands for them. The defendants have pleaded not guilty. The lyrics sheets document the shaping of a roster of 1970s rock hits. Many were on the Eagles’ huge-selling album “Hotel California.”