Last week, Tom Petty's family took legal action against RR Auction house after announcing the sale of his personal property they believe was stolen from a secured archive based on prior knowledge, staff observations and documentation.
The auction house has pulled the items, which included signed albums, concert posters, a pink guitar strap and clothing, including jackets, hats, T-shirts, cowboy boots and a space-themed vest that he wore at Live Aid in 1985.
Mark Zaid, a lawyer for RR Auction, says they're cooperating with the family. “We take theft allegations such as these very seriously. We also take seriously any defamatory allegations against our company, which has developed a stellar reputation over the last half-a-century.”
The items belonged to Petty's first wife, Jane Benyo, who got them as part of their 1996 divorce settlement. But in 2015, she foreclosed on her house and the bank took possession of the property and its contents, which were then sold to the auction house.