Current:Home > InvestJudge orders Martin Shkreli to turn over all copies of unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album -WealthSync Hub
Judge orders Martin Shkreli to turn over all copies of unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album
View
Date:2025-04-11 15:02:30
NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Shkreli, once dubbed “Pharma Bro” for boosting the price of a life-saving drug, was ordered by a federal judge Monday to turn over all copies of Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” album to his lawyers by Friday.
Judge Pamela K. Chen in Brooklyn wrote that Shkreli must produce all copies of what is sometimes referred to as the world’s rarest album and report the names of anyone he distributed the music to by Sept. 30, along with any revenues he received from it.
In June, Shkreli was sued by a cryptocurrency collective that bought the only known copy of the album for $4.75 million.
The collective, PleasrDAO, accused Shkreli of retaining digital copies of the album in violation of their deal and disseminating them widely among his social media followers.
PleasrDAO attorney Steven Cooper said in a statement that Chen’s ruling was “an important victory for our client.”
He added: “We are pleased that Judge Chen recognized that immediate relief was necessary to thwart the continuing bad acts of Mr. Shkreli.”
Edward Paltzik, a lawyer for Shkreli, said in an email that the judge’s order maintained “the perceived status quo” of the lawsuit’s progression and has “no bearing whatsoever on the final outcome of the case.”
He also noted that the judge did not make a finding that PleasrDAO was likely to succeed on the merits or that its allegations were true.
The Wu-Tang Clan spent six years creating “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” before putting a single copy of the 31-track double album up for auction in 2015 on the condition that it not be released publicly. The multiplatinum hip-hop group wanted it viewed as a piece of contemporary art.
Shkreli bought the album for $2 million before he was convicted of lying to investors and cheating them out of millions of dollars in two failed hedge funds he operated.
In 2021, “Once Upon a Time is Shaolin” was sold to satisfy some of Shkreli’s court debts.
Shkreli was released from prison in 2022 after serving much of a seven-year sentence.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Imagine if GPS got lost. We at Space Force worry about it so you don't have to.
- Where does Shohei Ohtani's deal rank among the 10 biggest pro sports contracts ever?
- Kat Dennings marries Andrew W.K., joined by pals Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song for ceremony
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Alexey Navalny, Russia's jailed opposition leader, has gone missing, according to his supporters
- Biden will meet with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas on Wednesday at the White House
- The Real Reason Vanderpump Rules' Scheana Shay Was in Tom Sandoval's Hotel Room at BravoCon
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- These 4 couponing apps could help keep consumers' wallets padded this holiday shopping season
Ranking
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- 'Miraculous': 72-year-old Idaho woman missing 4 days found in canyon
- Hilary Duff Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 4
- Scientists say AI is emerging as potential tool for athletes using banned drugs
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Inflation continues to moderate thanks to a big drop in gas prices
- Most stressful jobs 2023: Judges, nurses and video editors all rank in top 10
- Starbucks December deals: 50% off drinks and free hot chocolate offerings this month
Recommendation
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
Singer Zahara, South Africa’s Afro-soul sensation and beloved ‘Country Girl,’ dies aged 36
U.N. says Israel-Hamas war causing unmatched suffering in Gaza, pleads for new cease-fire, more aid
How school districts are tackling chronic absenteeism, which has soared since the COVID-19 pandemic
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
Voting closes in Egypt’s presidential elections, with el-Sissi almost certain to win a third term
Remembering Ryan O'Neal
'I'm not OK': Over 140 people displaced after building partially collapses in the Bronx