Allen Klein, John Lennon, Yoko Ono in 1969 (C. Maher/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)A 1977 legal document signed by John Lennon that finalized the settlement of a lawsuit with former Beatles manager Allen Klein is being sold by the Moments in Time memorabilia website for a whopping $95,000.
Klein had sued the Fab Four’s members for $19 million after they fired him when his contract with the group expired in March of 1973. Klein had been hired to manage The Beatles in 1969 — over the objections of Paul McCartney — shortly before the band broke up, and he continued to oversee the group’s affairs for several years. According to MomentsinTime.com, Klein settled his suit with The Beatles and their company, Apple Corps, which paid Allen and his company ABKCO about $5 million. Klein, in turn, paid out $800,000.
The settlement was signed by Lennon and Klein on January 8, 1977, at New York City’s Plaza Hotel, the same building where The Beatles stayed during their historic first trip to the Big Apple in 1964. Also present at the settlement meeting were John’s wife, Yoko Ono, lawyers representing both parties and famed rock photographer Bob Gruen. Gruen snapped pics of Lennon, Ono and Klein posing together, including a photo of them with the document resting on a loaf of bread to signify the peaceful resolution of their disagreement.
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