"Prosecutors Drop Charges, Ending 'Hotel California' Lyrics Trial Abruptly"

New York prosecutors dropped their criminal case against three men accused of possessing stolen "Hotel California" lyrics midtrial, citing newly available emails that raised questions about the trial's fairness. The case centered on hand-drafted lyrics to Eagles hits, including "Hotel California," which had been shared with a writer and later sold to the defendants. The defense argued that the men were rightful owners of the pages, while prosecutors alleged they knew the pages had a dubious chain of ownership but peddled them anyway. The trial came to a surprise halt after Eagles star Don Henley waived attorney-client privilege, leading to the belated production of about 6,000 pages of material.