Frederic Seaman admits he sucks:
- Paul LiCalsi, attorney for Lennon's widow, told Manhattan federal court Judge Leonard Sand that Ono and Frederic Seaman had reached an agreement, putting an end to the case just before the jury was expected to hear closing arguments.
Ono sued Seaman in 1999 over the rights to 374 photos Seaman took of the Lennon family, and accused him of stealing other personal items and then selling them after the former Beatle was killed in December 1980. Seaman contended that the photos belonged to him as they were taken on his own time, and with his personal camera. Ono also accused Seaman of violating a confidentiality agreement by publishing a book about the late Beatle titled The Last Days Of John Lennon: A Personal Memoir.
The judge in the case ruled there was overwhelming evidence that the confidentiality agreement signed by Seaman when he was hired by the Lennons in 1979 was valid and binding.
Seaman was hired by the Lennons in 1979 as a "gofer," but was fired by Ono in 1981 when he was caught wearing Lennon's clothes and charging restaurant and nightclub sprees to her. In 1983, Seaman pleaded guilty to second-degree larceny for stealing the former Beatle's diaries. He was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to return all of the property.
The settlement reached Friday (September 27) requires Seaman to relinquish all rights to the 374 photos and any other Lennon-related items within 10 days.
In a statement read in court, Seaman said, "I offer no excuses for my conduct and ask only that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. After more than 20 years, it's time to ask for forgiveness for my actions. I now realize how much pain and embarrassment I have caused."
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