Auction house gives update on Tom Petty auction
RR Auction is “aggressively investigating” the claims that Tom Petty’s personal property it has acquired was stolen. These claims were made by Petty’s Estate this week, and the estate and auction house are working together to find a solution.
“RR Auction is aggressively investigating the situation involving the alleged theft of items from the Estate of rock n’ roll icon Tom Petty that were consigned by a third party to be auctioned on June 22, 2023,” RR Auction’s attorney Mark S. Zaid provides to us on Thursday (May 25th).
“As a precaution and in respectful deference to the family, RR Auction is withdrawing all of the lots and securing them until this matter is properly resolved. Attorneys for the late Tom Petty’s family have been notified of our action and we hope to see mutual cooperation continue to verify the facts of the situation.
“Obviously, there is information that both sides need to ascertain before conclusive lawful title to the items is determined.”
Petty’s Estate believes the artifacts were “outright stolen from a secured archive based on prior knowledge, staff observations and documentation.” The family released a statement on Wednesday (May 24th), saying they were “pursuing all available legal action for the immediate return of these items, and they ask that fans and collectors refrain from participating in this auction until the matter is settled to avoid getting further involved in this legal action.”
Zaid called the threats of litigation “hostile,” while asking that the Petty family continue to cooperate during the investigation.
We’ll have more details as they become available.