LOS ANGELES (AP) – A lawsuit has been filed over the recent auction of a 1942 Oscar awarded to the art director of the film “My Gal Sal.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, which hosts the Academy Awards, sued Rhode Island-based Briarbrook Auction Services on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Briarbrook sold the statuette on June 24 for $79,200.
The lawsuit seeks an order requiring Briarbrook to sell the Oscar statuette to the Academy for $10 in accordance with the organization’s bylaws. The disputed statuette was awarded to Joseph Wright for his art direction of the musical “My Gal Sal,” which starred Rita Hayworth.
Briarbrook owner Nanci Thompon says she has not seen the lawsuit, but she says the company was careful before offering it for sale.