Michael Jackson’s lawyer of his estate has officially stopped the selling of some unreleased tapes.
According to reports, Alex Spiro, the estate’s lawyer, sent a letter to the auction house, Gotta Have Rock and Roll, after they announced that they would be selling the tapes on their website. The letter stated that the estate would be seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the auction house.
“We will provide you with the Estate’s filing papers by email in advance of seeking relief. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions,” the letter reads.
The tapes consisted of recordings of Jackson from 1994 when he was at the Hit Factory studio in New York City.
The never heard before recordings included the songs, “Like U,” “New Jelly,” “Rescue Me,” and “Lost in Love.” The tapes were selling for $500-$4000 a piece and labeled as “an artifact only” with no copyright.
A cease and desist letter was also sent to the auction house the estate’s other attorney, Jonathan Steinsapir. Although the auction house did not release a statement about the lawsuit threats, they have removed the tapes from their website.