Madonna Halts Auction of Tupac's Letter

One day before the start of the auction, Madonna stepped in. On July 18, 2017, a judge at the Manhattan Supreme Court ordered the auction house to pull 22 items. Among them were Tupac’s letter from prison (see letter report), a hairbrush containing her hair, and worn underwear.

Madonna blames former assistant

Madonna stated, according to Billboard, that she was “shocked” by the planned online auction and had not known that she no longer possessed the items. A former friend was responsible: the pieces came from Darlene Lutz, Madonna’s former personal assistant.

The auction house announces resistance

The auction house announced it would “challenge and refute” the allegations in court. On July 20, the judge upheld the temporary injunction. A hearing was scheduled for September 6, as Rolling Stone reported. How the legal dispute ended is recounted in Madonna loses the case.