Photo: Samir Hussein / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
MALIBU (CNS) - The family of rocker Tom Petty, who died in 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Malibu home, announced Friday it has resolved a legal dispute with a Boston-based auction house over the planned sale of Petty memorabilia the family initially believed had been stolen.
In a joint statement Friday, the Petty family and RR Auction announced the dispute had been "resolved without litigation."
"The Petty family is grateful that RR Auction facilitated the safe return of the items, which have been returned to the Petty family's secure archives, and there is currently no belief RR Auction committed or knew of any wrongdoing regarding the disputed ownership of the items," according to the statement. "To show their gratitude, the family has agreed to a select few of the belongings to be offered for auction through RR Auction. The family supports the upcoming sale and verifies the authenticity of the items to be offered."
The family announced in May that it was challenging the planned RR Auction sale of items as part of its "Marvels of Modern Music" auction. The collection included jackets, T-shirts, sweaters, hats, pants, shoes, autographed albums, photos and concert posters. The family contended at the time that the items were "outright stolen from a secured archive."
With the dispute resolved, RR Auction now plans to hold the sale of Petty items beginning Dec. 14. According to the website, the sale includes about two dozen items, including a signed album, signed photo and clothing including shirts, shoes, scarves, pants, hats and jackets.