A judge halted an auction of intimate items of Madonna including a breakup letter from Tupac Shakur after the pop superstar said her privacy was violated.
New York Justice Gerald Lebovits ordered a hearing on the dispute for September 6 and barred the auction house, Gotta Have Rock and Roll, from holding the sale in the meantime.
Madonna asked the court to intervene, saying that the items were taken without her permission.
“The fact that I may have attained celebrity status as a result of success in my career does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard to highly personal items,” the Material Girl told the court in a statement.
The items include a letter from Tupac Shakur, one of the defining figures of hip-hop, with whom Madonna had a relationship that was little known publicly until recently.
In the 1995 letter, Tupac — who would be shot dead the following year — said he was upset with her for saying in an interview “I’m off to rehabilitate all the rappers and basketball players.” He also said his image could suffer by dating a white woman.
Many of the more than 100 items up for auction were identified as coming from Darlene Lutz, a New York art dealer who helped Madonna build a collection before falling out with her.
Madonna said Lutz, while still a friend, had helped her pack up a house in Miami where much of the personal memorabilia was present.
Lawyers for Lutz in a reply submitted alleged that Madonna had a “personal vendetta” against Lutz, and said the singer had given up the right to make claims against Lutz as part of a court settlement in 2004.
A judge halted an auction of intimate items of Madonna including a breakup letter from Tupac Shakur
