A new $12 million claim for use of Jerry Garcia's artwork, including designs for ties, has been filed against the late musician's estate.
Nora Sage of the Art Peddler in Bend, Ore., charges that representatives of Garcia's estate are preventing her from affixing Garcia's silk-screened signature to lithographs, according to papers filed Monday in Marin County Superior Court.The claim is the largest made against the estate of the late Grateful Dead guitarist so far. Previous claims totaled $7.3 million and included a request from Garcia's ex-wife, Carolyn Adams Garcia, for $5 million in cash as a division of their assets.
Garcia died of a heart attack Aug. 9 at a drug treatment center in Forest Knolls at age 54.
Sage, who was not available for comment, says in court papers that she reached an agreement with Garcia in 1990 to sell his artwork.
The art dealer says Garcia gave her 180 of his pieces to sell and reproduce.
Sage maintains that she is entitled to ownership of half the inventory, including Garcia's original artwork and reproductions, if the agreement is terminated before the inventory is sold.
The 1990 agreement required Garcia to affix his signature to reproductions of his work, the court papers say.
Sage contends that when Garcia died, many lithographs were awaiting his signature.
"After his death the decedent's personal representatives forbade, and continue to forbid, creditor from affixing silk-screened signatures to the lithographs," the court papers say.
Ties with Garcia's designs sold well, according to a 1993 agreement between Sage and Garcia. Two collections of eight sets of ties, which were sold throughout the country, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain and at military bases throughout the world, earned more than $200,000 in royalties.
The 1993 agreement said Garcia also had given verbal approval for manufacture of suspenders, vests for men and women, belts, scarves, cummerbunds and bow ties, using his designs.