The Dorothy dress at the center of the dispute. / Bonhams
Denver Newsroom, May 23, 2022 / 18:50 pm (CNA).
The Catholic University of America cannot auction a dress from the Wizard of Oz until a court resolves a legal challenge about its ownersh.
The Dorothy dress at the center of the dispute. / BonhamsDenver Newsroom, May 23, 2022 / 18:50 pm (CNA).The Catholic University of America cannot auction a dress from the Wizard of Oz until a court resolves a legal challenge about its ownership, a federal judge has said.The university had scheduled an auction of the dress worn by Judy Garland for the classic movie in hopes of raising more than $1 million for its drama department. The legal challenge comes from Wisconsin resident Barbara Ann Hartke, 81, a niece of a Dominican priest and drama professor at the university. She says that the dress should be hers because she is the priest s closest living relative.Judge Paul Gardephe, in a May 23 temporary injunction, ruled that the niece s lawsuit had enough merit to proceed. He blocked the planned auction until the lawsuit challenging ownership of the dress is legally settled through proceedings in Manhattan federal court. He has set another hearing in June. The ruling could postp.