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Don Henley is turning up the heat in his bitter legal dispute with Geffen Records, charging that entertainment impresario David Geffen conspired with other powerful record corporations to blackball the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.
Attorneys for the 46-year-old recording artist were expected to file papers in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday requesting that an antitrust violation be added to Henley's cross-complaint, which stemmed from a breach-of-contract suit filed against the artist by Geffen.
The new amendment alleges that executives at Warner Music Group, Sony Music and EMI Music assured Geffen they would not sign any artist who attempted to break their contract under the seven-year statute-the precise law Henley cited nine months ago spurring the vitriolic legal battle.
Under the statute-a controversial California law enacted 50 years ago to free actors from long-term studio deals-entertainers cannot be forced to work for any company for more than seven years. Some record executives believe the statute won't hold up in court, but have been reluctant to test it because an adverse ruling could lead to a wholesale exodus of veteran artists from their record companies in search of better deals on the open market. Earlier possible showdowns over the statute have been avoided because artists settled out of court for more money and upgraded contract terms.
"If powerful corporations like these are having discussions to stop me from recording my music, what does that say about the...