Beach Boys Collector Sues

A collector has countersued The Beach Boys in a fight over who owns band memorabilia, including original sheet music for hit songs and contracts.

Florida resident Roy Sciacca claims he purchased boxes of the band’s memorabilia at multiple California liquidation sales in the 1980s. The Beach Boys’ tour manager was present during the sales and approved everything that was sold, Sciacca’s lawsuit said.

But Sciacca said the band wrongly stopped the sale of the memorabilia last year. He’s seeking damages of $20 million or the right to sell it, according to the federal suit against the band’s corporate entity, Brother Records Inc.

In January, BRI sued Sciacca and the owner of a North Hollywood warehouse where the memorabilia was stored. The California lawsuit claims the photos, recordings and other band memorabilia were stolen from the warehouse.

“I love The Beach Boys,” Sciacca said. “It disgusts me how far this has gone and the lies and so forth.”

Beach Boys attorney Ed McPherson said the band would continue to try to retrieve the items and called Sciacca’s lawsuit a publicity stunt.

“It’s unfortunate that there are people out there that take advantage of situations like this and people willing to buy this stuff,” McPherson said.