Eagles co-founder Don Henley has filed a civil lawsuit in New York seeking to recover his original handwritten 'Hotel California' lyrics and notes following the dismissal of criminal charges against three collectibles dealers.

The 100-page manuscript, currently held by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, is at the center of a complex ownership dispute. Henley claims the documents were stolen, while dealers Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi, and Edward Kosinski maintain they were legally acquired.

The lawsuit comes after prosecutors dropped criminal charges against the dealers in March. According to Henley's lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, the documents rightfully belong to Henley and his family, who never authorized their sale.

Defense attorneys claim Henley gave the manuscript to a writer for an unpublished Eagles biography decades ago, after which it was sold to Horowitz, who then sold it to Inciardi and Kosinski. Some pages were put up for auction in 2012.

Judge Curtis Farber noted that the criminal case was complicated by attorney-client privilege issues and the late disclosure of over 6,000 pages of communications between Henley and his legal team.

The dealers' attorneys have called the new lawsuit "baseless" and plan to counter-sue Henley for what they describe as "repeated lies and misuse of the justice system."

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