LOS ANGELES — The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is suing to block a Beverly Hills auction house from selling Valerie Harper’s Emmy statuettes because the sale this week would tarnish the award, according to a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Harper’s four Emmy Awards from her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Rhoda” are estimated at $5,000 to $7,000 each on Julien’s Auctions’ website and are set to be sold Friday and Saturday, but the North Hollywood-based TV academy says if the sale is allowed to proceed it will undermine the prestige of the award.
The actress died in August at age 80.
The television academy also claims the trophies are not the property of Harper’s estate because the awards are loans, not gifts.
A message to the Culver City-based Julien’s was not immediately answered.
According to the complaint, filed late Tuesday, the academy repeatedly asked that Julien’s withdraw the Harper Emmys from the sale, but the Beverly Hills auction house refused.
The suit includes copyright infringement among its allegations, asks for a court order returning Harper’s statuettes to the academy and seeks a jury trial for unspecified damages.
Source: Orange County Register
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