A federal judge has dismissed a multimillion dollar lawsuit claiming Beach Boys memorabilia, including handwritten lyrics and rare photos, were stolen from storage.
U.S. District Judge Manuel Real ruled last week the group’s company, Brother Records, failed to prove allegations that Roy A. Sciacca, Allen Gaba and Gem System Inc. “stole, misappropriated or otherwise improperly, wrongfully or illegally acquired any property.”
The Beach Boys said they had stored musical instruments, original sheet music, charts, photos, contracts and other valuable pieces of memorabilia in Gaba’s warehouse.
When band members decided to clear out the warehouse in 1994, according to the lawsuit filed last year, they discovered 13 to 25 boxes had been taken without permission. The band said it learned in October 2005 that Sciacca was putting the items up for auction.
The group’s lawsuit sought more than $20 million.
Sciacca’s lawyer, G. Cresswell Templeton, said his client bought the items at a warehouse auction in the 1980s.
“This has really been a difficult time for him,” Templeton said. “He’s a big collector of memorabilia, and to have the Beach Boys making these kinds of allegations against him has just really, really interfered with his ability to do business.”
Beach Boys attorney Danny Morin did not immediately return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
The Beach Boys, who helped define California’s surf music sound, have produced such hits as “Good Vibrations,” “Surfin’ USA,” “California Girls” and “Help Me Rhonda.”
