September 21, 2024

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Pass judgement on blocks public sale of Judy Garland’s ‘Wizard of Oz.’ get dressed through Catholic College pending consequence of lawsuit

A blue and white checked gingham get dressed, worn through Judy Garland within the “Wizard of Oz.,” hangs on show, Monday, April 25, 2022, at Bonhams in New York.

Katie Vasquez | AP

A federal pass judgement on in New York blocked Tuesday’s scheduled public sale of a get dressed worn through Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.” that were anticipated to fetch as much as $1 million or extra for The Catholic College of The usa.

Monday’s injunction barring a sale of the get dressed through Bonhams public sale space in Los Angeles got here greater than two weeks after a Wisconsin lady, Barbara Hartke, sued to prevent the sale, claiming it belonged to the property of her overdue uncle, the Rev. Gilbert Hartke. The lawsuit will continue in New york federal court docket.

Pass judgement on Paul Gardephe ordered Catholic College, which is positioned in Washington, D.C., and Bonhams to not promote the get dressed till the lawsuit is resolved.

Anthony Scordo, the legal professional for Barbara Hartke, in an e mail to CNBC stated, “I’m proud of the ruling combating the sale. I think the pass judgement on sparsely reviewed the submissions of all events and got here to an even outcome.”

In its remark, Catholic College stated, “The Court docket’s determination to maintain the established order used to be initial and didn’t get to the deserves of Barbara Hartke’s declare to the get dressed. We look ahead to presenting our place, and the overpowering proof contradicting Ms. Hartke’s declare, to the Court docket during this litigation.”

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Hartke won the “Oz.” get dressed in 1973 as a present from Academy Award-winning actress Mercedes McCambridge whilst serving as head of Catholic College’s drama college, which he based. It’s not recognized how MacCambridge acquired the dress from the vintage 1939 movie.

As an inheritor to the priest, Barbara Hartke stands to inherit a fragment of the possession to the get dressed if she prevails in her lawsuit to end up that it belongs to her overdue uncle’s property.

The get dressed were lacking for many years prior to it used to be present in a trash bag in a room on the drama college ultimate yr. Catholic College then moved to place it up for public sale, producing in style media protection ultimate month.

The college argues that it’s the felony proprietor of the get dressed, as a result of Hartke, as a Roman Catholic priest, had taken a vow of poverty and that the get dressed used to be supposed to learn the varsity.

The college additionally submitted affidavits from a grandnephew of Hartke who remembered that “my grand uncle Father Gilbert Hartke stated to me that I may now not have it because the get dressed belonged to Catholic College.”

That guy, Thomas Kuipers, with a cousin stated that they and different descendants of the priest supported the public sale of the get dressed with the figuring out that it used to be given as a present for the varsity.

In its remark, Catholic College stated that “it remains to be dedicated to its plan to make use of proceeds from a sale of the get dressed to endow a college place within the Rome Faculty of Track, Drama and Artwork, which it believes is in step with Mercedes McCambridge’s unique intent and Father Gilbert Hartke’s want to give a boost to and develop the College’s drama program.”

The get dressed is certainly one of handiest two attire recognized to nonetheless exist of the different created for Garland to put on in “The Wizard of Oz..”

The opposite get dressed used to be auctioned in 2015 through Bonhams for greater than $1.5 million.