Ono wins right to Lennon photos

A SETTLEMENT was reached yesterday which marked a victory for Beatle widow Yoko Ono over a former employee over his use of hundreds of private family photos.

It ended a dispute that stretched across two decades.

As part of the settlement, former assistant Frederick Seaman issued a public apology to Ono, her late husband John Lennon and their son Seán, lawyers for both sides announced.

“I offer no excuses for my conduct, and ask only that you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” Seaman said in a statement read in a New York court by Ono’s lawyer.

Ono had sued him over the rights to 374 photos he took of the Lennon family, many in the months before the 1980 murder of the Beatles star. The settlement was a complete victory for Ono, forcing Seaman to surrender all rights to the photos.

Seaman must also return any Lennon-related items still in his possession within 10 days. He admitted he had exploited the Lennon legacy for personal profit.

“After more than 20 years, it’s time to ask for forgiveness for my actions,” Seaman said. “I now realise how much pain and embarrassment I have caused.”

The trial had opened on Monday, more than two decades after Lennon was murdered by a deranged fan as Ono watched in horror. Closing arguments were supposed to have begun this morning. Seaman’s defence received a devastating blow last night when Judge Leonard Sand ruled there was overwhelming evidence that a confidentiality agreement signed by Seaman when he was hired in 1979 was valid and binding.

Negotiations aimed at settling the dispute began almost immediately in Judge Sand’s chambers.

In her lawsuit, Ono alleged that Seaman violated the agreement by publishing a book called The Last Days of John Lennon: A Personal Memoir. She also claimed he profited by stealing Lennon mementoes and selling them to collectors.

The suit demanded that Seaman surrender the rights to 374 photos he took of the Lennon family and pay unspecified damages.