George Harrison's widow, Olivia, has gone to court to stop her former brother-in-law from allegedly trying to cash in on the ex-Beatle's death.
Olivia has filed suit in L.A. Superior Court, accusing Carl Roles of stealing Harrison memorabilia and trying to sell it on Nov. 30, the day after George died.
On Friday, a judge issued a temporary restraining order barring Roles from selling the keepsakes.
Olivia's suit charges that Roles stole the goods from a Bel-Air home once owned by George, who let him live there rent-free while Roles was married to Olivia's sister, Linda Arias. (They divorced in 1986.) When the house was partially destroyed in a mudslide in 1980, Roles is alleged to have made off with numerous possessions, which the Harrisons assumed had been lost.
The suit claims private detective Gavin de Becker, a friend of George, learned of Roles' plan from a reporter and set up a sting — luring Roles and his wife, Carol, to a meeting where Roles offered 10 boxes of Harrison's belongings to an FBI agent posing as a Beatles fan.
The items, we hear, included George's clothing, credit card receipts, guitar picks, rare Beatles singles and thousands of photos of George with friends (including, curiously, President Gerald Ford).
A source close to the investigation tells us Roles said he would not take less than $1 millon for the lot and that he told a reporter, "I don't suppose George would mind now, do you?'"
The Roles are "engaged in despicable conduct," Olivia charges in the suit, which demands that the couple return the possessions and pay unspecified damages.
Olivia's lawyer, Robert Chapman, tells us an FBI investigation is continuing. Roles could not be reached for comment, but he's said to be insisting that Harrison gave him the mementos.
Messages left with the FBI weren't returned.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/2002-01-15/News_and_Views/Daily_Dish/a-138264.asp?last6days=1
