Hat trick: how Bono finally got his stuff back

Ray Managh

A judge ordered the U2 singer’s former stylist, Lola Cashman, to give back the items within the next seven days.

Circuit Court President, Mr Justice Matthew Deery, then told her also to hand over a special Christmas decoration, 88 Polaroid pictures and 117 other photographs of U2 members taken during their Joshua Tree world tour of the late 1980s.

Judge Deery said Ms Cashman had joined the band as stylist during the 1987-88 tour and had claimed the items in question had been gifted to her by Bono in particular and other members of the group.

U2 members Bono (Paul Hewson), Adam Clayton, David Evans and Laurence (Larry) Mullen had sought the return of all property belonging to the band after the items had appeared for sale in a Christie’s London auction of rock memorabilia.

U2, who are on their Vertigo Tour in Poland and were unable to attend yesterday’s verdict, said that “the point of principle involved was of much greater significance than any item of memorabilia”.

Yesterday they issued a statement saying they were “relieved that this matter has now concluded”.

“This case was brought very reluctantly, in the context of a larger dispute which we never invited,” they said. The band also wished Ms Cashman well in the future.

U2’s working wardrobe was housed back in Dublin and the band considered archiving of wardrobe items very seriously.

Bono had denied he had ever given any working wardrobe to any stylist.

“Mr Hewson denied emphatically that he gave trousers and earrings to Ms Cashman but was not certain as to the sweatshirt and said he could have given it to her,” Judge Deery said.

Bono had told the court the Stetson hat had taken on iconic status and giving it away would be tantamount to The Edge giving away one of his guitars. Nobody in the band remembered giving the Christmas decoration away.

Judge Deery said ttempt had been made to sell the items at Sotheby’s but the band had not known of this.

The group had sought to repossess the items prior to the publication of Ms Cashman’s book, In the Zoo with U2, in 2003. Judge Deery said Ms Cashman claimed Bono had given her the trousers and sweatshirt at a time when she was clearing out a trunk.

“I think it is highly unlikely the items were given in this way. The weight of the evidence is entirely against the defendant’s version of events,” he said.

She had also claimed Bono had given her the Stetson hat on the last night of the Joshua Tree tour. Referring to evidence by Ms Cashman that Bono had been “prancing about in his underpants” at the time, Judge Deery said she had given a colourful description of the situation prevailing when the hat had been given to her.

The judge said there had been no such detail given by Ms Cashman in her replies to particulars sought by solicitors for U2 during the preparation of the case and equally there had been no such detail in her book in 2003. “Ms Cashman’s version about the giving of the hat is unlikely to have occurred,” he said.

Judge Deery said he accepted there had been a strict protocol in relation to the band’s working wardrobe and he did not believe the earrings had been given to her.

The court took the same view regarding the Christmas decoration. It was unlikely it had been given to Ms Cashman. He said Ms Cashman had retained the photographs and claimed they were her property.

He was satisfied from the evidence these photographs had come into existence as a result of Ms Cashman’s employment with the band and the film used was purchased with money provided by U2. Judge Deery said it seemed to him that while the photographs had not been set out specifically in U2’s claim they were undoubtedly the property of the band.

“I am making an order directing the defendant to deliver up these items within a period of seven days from today’s date,” he said.

He added the matter of legal costs could be mentioned to the court in a week’s time.