Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource

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Vintage Poster Scandal Update: 1931 Dracula Poster Lawsuits & Default Judgments – Profiles in History vs. Thomas Rega / Thomas Rega vs. Studio Conservation

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One of the most significant scandals to hit Hollywood memorabilia collecting in the past decade was a series of discoveries in the poster community relating to purported fraudulent movie posters and one sheets.  A new update was published yesterday on the MoPo Mailing List at FilmFan.com by Dianne Jeffrey, President and CEO of Studio Conservation Inc.   Ms. Jeffrey was the professional who did some of the restoration work (in good faith) on the Dracula poster consigned to a Profiles in History auction in which it was featured on the cover of their “Hollywood Auction 37” sale event in 2009. Ms. Jeffrey has stated on MoPo that she received notice of a default judgment against her from Thomas Rega “in the amount of $263,312.50, plus attorney fees of $18,134.80”; she is a resident of California and the lawsuit was filed against her in New Jersey and she did not represent herself and/or her business in court.  Interestingly, Profiles in History was previously awarded a default judgment against Thomas Rega in their own lawsuit filed against him in California. [Read more…]

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New National Geographic Channel Series, ‘America’s Lost Treasures’, Seeks Rare Artifacts

Producers for National Geographic Channel’s new series, ‘America’s Lost Treasures’, will be visiting Los Angeles in a few weeks for an upcoming episode, and are looking for important artifacts to feature on the show.  This will be held at The Autry Museum in mid-February. [Read more…]

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Julien’s Auctions Files Lawsuit Against Live Auctioneers Over Michael Jackson “Neverland” Auction for Breach of Contract and Negligence

Following last month’s development of a jury rejecting a lawsuit by collector Richard LaPointe over the canceled “Neverland” auction of Michael Jackson memorabilia, Julien’s Auction has now filed its own complaint against Live Auctioneers, the online bidding service provider for the event.  The new complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, cites two causes of auction – breach of contract and negligence. [Read more…]

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Beverly Hills Courier Reports “Judge Rules In Favor of Julien’s Auction House” in Lawsuit Brought By Michael Jackson Memorabilia Collector Richard LaPointe

Today the Beverly Hills Courier published the latest breaking news about the ongoing legal action brought by collector Richard LaPointe against MJJ Productions, Julien’s Auctions, and others. According to the news story, the “jury today rejected a lawsuit in which a collector of celebrity memorabilia maintained that a Los Angeles auction house broke a contract to sell him 14 items that belonged to Michael Jackson“, following 30 minutes of deliberation.

[Read more…]

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Beverly Hills Courier Reports on Partial Settlement of Michael Jackson Memorabilia Lawsuit with Collector Richard LaPointe

Today the Beverly Hills Courier published an update on the ongoing legal action brought by collector Richard LaPointe against MJJ Productions, Julien’s Auctions, and others.  Per the article, Michael Jackson’s estate will sell LaPointe 64 of the 80+ items under dispute, which were pulled from public auction in 2009 when the entire sale was canceled following a settlement between MJJ Productions and Julien’s Auctions in their own legal dispute. [Read more…]

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Update on Collector Lawsuit Against Julien’s Auctions Over Canceled Michael Jackson Memorabilia Sale Event

As reported throughout 2009 and last updated over one year ago, efforts by Julien’s Auctions to offer for sale memorabilia owned by Michael Jackson were embroiled in controversy and legal action, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the event following a settlement between the auction house and MJJ Productions.  The pop star died just two months later. [Read more…]

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Bonhams to Auction Prop Ferrari 250GT Spyder California Used in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

Last year, the house owned by the father of fictional character of Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was put up for sale (see “Cameron’s House from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” For Sale at $2.3 Million Dollars”); now, Bonhams will offer his dad’s Ferrari for sale in their April auction. [Read more…]

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Julien’s Auctions Continues To Fight Michael Jackson-Related Lawsuits

One of the big stories last year was the legal battle between Michael Jackson’s MJJ Productions and Julien’s Auctions over the disposition of Jackson-owned memorabilia consigned to the auction house.  This was ultimately settled between the parties a few months before the pop star’s death.  However, two other lawsuits linger, with legal action spilling into 2010. [Read more…]