Madonna halts auction of intimate items

The content of handwritten letters that Madonna has called “intensely personal” may have already been made public, but — for the moment — they are no longer for sale after a US judge successfully stopped the auctioning of her 22 personal items including a pair of previously worn of satin panties, a brush containing her hair, a breakup letter she received from late Tupac Shakur, and a handwritten letter disparaging Whitney Houston and Sharon Stone after the singer filed an emergency court order.

Justice Gerald Lebovits of the New York State Supreme Court temporarily blocked the online auction of the items, which was scheduled for Wednesday, and directed the auctioneer, Gotta Have It Collectibles, to explain on September 6 why he should not issue a preliminary injunction.

 But other items, including tour costumes and the singer's jewelry, remain available to bid.

Lebovits issued his order on Tuesday, a few hours after Madonna sued, and made it public on Wednesday.

In a court filing, Madonna said the 22 items were among 128 being consigned for the auction, mostly by Darlene Lutz, whom she described as a longtime friend and art consultant.

A personal (non-performance) corset that has been worn by Madonna.

The corset Madonna wore on the cover of Like a Virgin was in the sale.

The fact that I 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, Madonna said in court papers (via The Hollywood Reporter).

I understand that my DNA could be extracted from a piece of my hair. It is outrageous and grossly offensive that my DNA could be auctioned for sale to the general public.

The 22 contested items were part of a larger collection belonging to Darlene Lutz, Madonna's former friend and personal assistant for over 20 years. A pre-auction estimate on the letter from Tupac was $400,000. Other items included unseen private photographs, cassette tapes and more.

Madonna and her legal army have taken what we believe to be a completely baseless and meritless action to temporarily halt the sale of Ms. Lutz’s legal property, a representative for the auction house told Rolling Stone Tuesday.

We believe that her intent is nothing more than to besmirch the good reputations of the auction house and Ms. Lutz. Madonna's allegations will be vigorously challenged and refuted in a court of law in due course. We are confident that the Madonna memorabilia will be back listed in a future Gotta Have Rock and Roll online auction once the legal proceeding is concluded.

The 58-year-old singer, said she was not trying to block the auction of all the items but would face "irreparable harm" if many of her "extremely private and personally sensitive belongings" were sold.

It seems obvious that defendant Lutz betrayed my trust in an outrageous effort to obtain my possessions without my knowledge or consent, she said.

In a court filing, Lutz said she and Madonna had a "falling out" in 2004 that led to a legal settlement that should have resolved the singer's latest claims.