'Hotel California' lyrics case stops midtrial after prosecutors drop charges

New York prosecutors on Wednesday suddenly dropped their criminal case during the trial of three men accused of conspiring to possess handwritten lyrics, including those of hit songs such as "Hotel California," by Eagles co-founder Don Henley. 

Manhattan Judge Curtis Farber dismissed the charges over concerns about the handling of evidence in the case, per The New York Times.

The trial began in late February, and questions about the case arose after Henley decided to waive attorney-client privilege last week after he testified. This resulted in new emails being available that defense attorneys cited with concerns about the trial's fairness, according to The Associated Press. 

"Witnesses and their lawyers" used attorney-client privilege "to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging," Farber said. 

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and their attorneys said their clients were the rightful owners of the pages. 

The men who were charged included rare books seller Glenn Horowitz,  rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski and former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi.

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