Madonna has asked a judge to block cameras from videotaping a deposition in her lawsuit over the online auction of her personal items.
Madonna filed suit against bosses at Gotta Have It! Collectibles and her former friend, art consultant Darlene Lutz, last week, claiming items hitting the auction block had been wrongfully taken from her.
The property included a letter sent to Madonna by her rapper ex-boyfriend Tupac Shakur while he was in jail, a hairbrush containing strands of her hair, and a pair of her unwashed panties.
Madonna is due to give her testimony in the case next week, but she doesn’t want the defence team to record her deposition on camera, as allowed under New York law.
The defendants are objecting to the request, and have filed legal papers in Manhattan Supreme Court to challenge Madonna’s motion for special treatment, with their lawyers arguing the restrictions are “unnecessary and improper”, reports the New York Daily News.
“She made some very public accusations against the defendants without seeking any confidentiality, and now it’s her turn to sit for a deposition,” wrote Lutz’s legal representative Judd Grossman. “Her celebrity status is no reason to treat her differently than any other party.”
The judge overseeing the case has yet to rule on the videotaping dispute.
Madonna was granted a temporary restraining order against the online sale last month (Jul17), and in her subsequent lawsuit, she explained the items had been sent to a storage unit owned by Lutz when the superstar moved. When they fell out in 2004, Madonna was reportedly unaware Lutz was still in possession of the memorabilia.
Gotta Have It! Collectibles bosses and Lutz attempted to appeal the ruling, but their motion was dismissed.
