Madonna filed papers in court in an effort to prevent the auction house, Gotta Have It Collectibles, from placing a number of personal items up for sale. Madonna is alleging that a handful of items listed for auction are her personal property and were taken without authorization by her former art consultant, Darlene Lutz. Madonna claims that Lutz, “betrayed my trust in an outrageous effort to obtain my possessions without my knowledge or consent.” Many of the personal items in dispute are fairly innocuous: underwear, a hairbrush, and some personal photos. A bit more controversial, and valuable, is a break-up letter written to Madonna from Tupac Shakur. Another missive included in the auction was written by Madonna and includes some disparaging comments regarding Whitney Houston and Sharon Stone. In a public statement, the auction house and Lutz characterized Madonna’s claims as “a completely baseless and meritless action.”
See Jon Blistein, Madonna Files Order to Stop Auction of Tupac Breakup Letter, Rolling Stone, July 19, 2017.
