Judge orders Martin Shkreli to turn over all copies of unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Schreli, once dubbed “Pharma Bro” for jacking up the price of a life-saving drug, was ordered by a federal judge Monday to turn over all copies of Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” to his lawyers by Friday.
Brooklyn Judge Pamela K. Chen wrote that Shkreli must produce all copies of what are sometimes referred to as the world’s rarest album and provide the names of the people to whom he distributed the music by September 30, along with any income he received from it.
In June, Shkreli was sued by a cryptocurrency trading collective that bought the only known copy of the album for $4.75 million.
The collective PleasrDAO accused Shkreli of withholding digital copies of the album, in violation of the agreement, and of widely distributing them to his followers on social media.
Steven Cooper, an attorney at PleasrDAO, said in a statement that Chen’s ruling was “a significant victory for our client.”
He added: “We are pleased that Judge Chen recognized that immediate relief was necessary to thwart Mr. Shkreli’s ongoing evil acts.”
Edward Paltzik, a lawyer for Shkreli, said in an email that the judge’s ruling maintained the “perceived status quo” of the trial’s progress and “has no impact whatsoever on the ultimate outcome of the case.”
He also noted that the judge did not find that PleasrDAO was likely to prevail on the facts or that the allegations were true.
The Wu-Tang Clan spent six years making “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” before auctioning a single copy of the 31-track double album in 2015 on the condition that it not be released publicly. The multiplatinum hip-hop group wanted it to be seen as a piece of contemporary art.
Shkreli bought the album for $2 million before he was convicted of lying to investors and cheating two failed hedge funds he managed out of millions of dollars.
In 2021, “Once Upon a Time is Shaolin” was released sold to pay some of Shkreli’s debts to the court.
Scream was released from prison in 2022 after serving most of his seven-year sentence.