George Harrison's Wife Reaches Settlement Agreement with Former Brother-in-Law
Discovery Made When Suspect Allegedly Contacted Reporter
March 24, 2003
Los Angeles-- A tentative agreement is in place to settle a dispute over the alleged theft of some of George Harrison's recordings, photographs, and clothings, according to court documents made public Monday.
Olivia Harrison sued her former brother in law Carl Rodes in January 2002, after he allegedly stole and attempted to sell some of the items shortly after the ex-Beatle's death in November 2001.
No terms of the tentative settlement were disclosed, and attorneys for both sides did not return calls.
The parties agreed to notify Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Owen Lee Kwong when they reached a final settlement agreement.
An injunction to prevent Roles from selling any of the goods has been in effect since February 2002.
The plaintiff was seeking damages in addition to the injunction. According to the suit, no value was placed on the missing items since Olivia Harrison said she wasn't sure exactly what was inside the 10 boxes.
According to the complaint, Roles called an unnamed reporter in Arizona in November 2001, trying to hawk boxes of photos--including one featuring the ex-Beatles with former President Gerald Ford--records and clothing he had taken from the house the Harrisons owned in Los Angeles.
Roles allegedly told the reporter that "there was a lot of money to be made from memorabilia related to George Harrison, given his recent death".
The reporter notified Gavin de Becker, a security expert, who works for the Harrisons' estate, and he, in turn, notified the FBI, according to the lawsuit.
An undercover agent, posing as a collector, met with Roles and his wife Carol while de Baker watched from another room, according to the lawsuit.
Roles admitted during that meeting that he had taken boxes of items, one of which was labeled "GH $tuff", but he and his wife refused to return the things to Harrison's family, the suit alleges.
Roles had access to the items when he was married to Olivia Harrison's sister, Linda Arias. The couple, who later divorced, lived rent-free in the property owned by the Harrisons on the condition that they would take care of it.
Roles claimed he took possession of the items in 1980, when the house was destroyed by a mudslide.
George Harrison died on Nov. 29, 2001, at age 58, after a long battle with cancer.

Harrison's Widow in Talks to Settle Lawsuit

March 25, 2003

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)- The widow of former Beatle George Harrison is in talks to settle her lawsuit against an ex-relative she accused to stealing personal items from the Harrisons' Los Angeles home and trying to see them a day after Harrison's 2001 death, her attorney says.
The terms of the potential settlement between Olivia Arias Harrison and her former brother-in-law, Carl Roles, were not made public. "A settlement is under discussion but there isn't any settlement yet," Harrison's attorney Robert Chapman said on Monday. "I'm confident that we will have a settlement or win the lawsuit."
An attorney for Roles was not available for comment. Roles, who was once married to Olivia Harrison's sister, is alleged in the lawsuit to have stole personal papers, clothing, photographs, and recordings when he lived at the Harrisons' home as a caretaker in the 1970s. George Harrison died of lung cancer on November 29, 2001, at age 58, at a friend's home in Los Angeles.
The next day, Roles tried to peddle the items to an Arizona journalist, the lawsuit said. Roles told the prospective buyer "there was a lot of money to be made from memorabilia related to George Harrison, given his recent death," the lawsuit said. The unnamed journalist notified Gavin de Becker, a security expert who works for Harrison's estate. De Becker called the FBI, which sent an undercover agent to meet with Roles and his wife, the lawsuit said.
During the meeting with the agent, Roles allegedly admitted stealing 10 boxes of property while he and his former wife, Linda Arias, lived rent-free at the Harrisons' home. The couple later divorced and Roles remarried. Roles later claimed he salvaged the items from a 1980 mudslide that destroyed the posh Bel Air home. Chapman said Roles has since returned most of the property but Olivia Harrison now seeks punitive damages against her former brother-in-law and his wife. Chapman added that the judge ordered the parties back to court on April 17 to confirm a settlement or to set a trial date.

Settlement May be Near in Harrison Memorabilia Dispute
March 26, 2003
A dispute between George Harrison's widow and her former brother-in-law over alleged stolen memorabilia from the late Beatle may soon be coming to an end.
Olivia Harrison filed a complaint in Los Angeles District Court in January, 2002 claiming that Carl Rodes and his new wife, Carol, allegedly tried to hawk the stolen items the day after Harrison's death on Nov. 29, 2001.
She alleges Roles took the items from the home after a mudslide destroyed the residence in 1980. At the time Roles was living there with Linda Arias, who is Olivia Harrison's sister.
Olivia Harrison claims that Roles tried to sell records, photos, clothes, and other things that once belonged to her husband without her permission. Roles maintains he did have permission from George Harrison to have the things and he denies trying to sell them.
According to the complaint, Olivia Harrison's security expert, Gavin de Becker, says he hired an undercover FBI agent to pose as a memorabilia collector and set up a meeting with the Roles after he learned that the man was attempting to sell the items.
De Becker monitored the meeting, where Roled allegedly showed off 10 boxes of George Harrison's belongings to the agent. One box was allegedly labeled "GH $tuff"
Court documents indicate the two parties agree to notify the court if they reach a settlement before trial. Olivia Harrison's attorney says if they don't, a hearing is set for April 17.
The former Beatles was 58 when he died after a long battle with cancer. A year later, Harrison's son, Dhani, and fellow Traveling Wilburys colloborator Jeff Lynne completed the musician's final tracks. They are featured on the album, "Brainwashed" which was released last November.

As My Attorney Gently Weeps
Olivia Harrison and her former brother in law may settle a dispute over memorabilia belonging to her late husband, Beatle George Harrison, according to court documents released Monday.
The parties have agreed to notify Superior Court Judge Owen Lee Kwong if they reached a final settlement before trial, the documents stated.
Harrison's attorney, Robert S. Chapman, said a hearing was set for April 17, and if a settlement wasn't reached the judge would set a date for trial.
Harrison had sued Carl Roles, who was married to her sister, Linda Arias, in January 2002, claiming he tried to sell some records, photographs, clothing, and other items belonging to the Beatle without her permission.
In February 2002, a court injunction prevented Roles from selling items.
Roles' attorney Brenda Barton Lemay was out of the office until Wednesday and a phone message left for her was not immediately returned Monday.
Harrison claimed in her lawsuit that Roles of Temecula stole 10 boxes from their Bel-Air home in the 1970s. In the injunction, Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs allowed Roles to keep letters that George and Olivia Harrison had written to him, along with an autographed souvenior program.
George Harrison, 58, died of cancer Nov. 29, 2001 at a home in the Hollywood Hills. Olivia Harrison claims Roles tried to sell items a day later.
Roles maintains that he received permission from George Harrison to remove the items from the house and denies he tried to sell them.

Attorney for George Harrison's Widow says Lawsuit Could be Settled Out of Court
According to her attorney, George Harrison's widow, Olivia Arias Harrison, hopes to work out a settlement with the former brother-in-law she has accused of stealing memorabilia from her husband's estate.
While terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, the lawyer said he is confident that a deal will be made or Olivia Harrison will win the case in court. In January of 2002, she filed a lawsuit against her former brother-in-law Carl Roles claiming he had wrongful possession of items belonging to the Harrisons, which he had tried to sell within 24 hours of George Harrison's death from cancer in November of 2001.
Roles responded that the allegedly stolen items have been in his possession for more than 20 years. In the 1970s, he was married to Olivia Harrison's sister, Linda, and the Harrisons allowed the couple to live in their Los Angeles home rent-free in exchange for maintaining the property. The lawsuit claims that after the house was destroyed in a mudslide in 1980, Roles stole the items including boxes of clothing and records. After George Harrison's death, Roles allegedly contacted an Arizona journalist about trying to sell the items.
Roles had denied all the charges, saying he was authorized to take the items from the home and that he never tried to sell anything, though the lawsuit claims he brought out 10 boxes labeled "GH $tuff" to show one collector, who was actually an undercover FBI agent. In February 2002, a Los Angeles judge barred Roles from selling any Harrison memorabilia.
Roles could not be reached for comment.