Beach Boys Sue For Lost Goods

The Beach Boys have filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against two men the band claims stole and tried to sell a pile of memorabilia from a North Hollywood warehouse.

The lawsuit, filed January 11th in a Los Angeles federal court by the band’s company, Brother Records Inc., names warehouse owner Allan Gaba, his friend Roy Sciacca, and Gem Systems Inc., a company Sciacca was affiliated with.

The complaint alleges the men violated the group’s copyright and trademark rights, and their “right to publicity.” It is seeking more than $20 million for the trademark claim alone.

The Beach Boys used Gaba’s warehouse to store original sheet music written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, musical instruments, photos, contracts and other items collected over the band’s career. The memorabilia in question – reportedly 13 to 25 boxes of it – was discovered missing when group members decided to clean out the warehouse in 1994.

The plot thickened last October when Beach Boys representatives got wind that London-based Cooper Owen was handling an Internet auction of Beach Boys items Sciacca allegedly said he purchased 20 years ago. The sale was scuttled just 30 minutes before it was to start.

The Beach Boys claim Sciacca still has several boxes of stolen goods.