Buddy Holly's Widow Sues Mca For Royalties

DALLAS - Buddy Holly's widow, Dallas resident Maria Elena Holly, and his siblings have filed a lawsuit against MCA Records contending that the company is defrauding them of royalties by using void contracts and forged signatures.

Speaking at a press conference in Dallas, Holly's widow said she had originally tried to settle the matter out of court. "I was ignored and stonewalled," she said. "It's a David and Goliath situation. You get a lawyer, and they still just laugh at you."

The lawsuit, filed March 15 in Lubbock County District Court, also contends MCA "has grossly underpaid the fair market value of royalties" and "stolen certain recordings and sold them."

An MCA spokeswoman in Los Angeles said, "We have no comment because we have not even seen the litigation."

The suit also names Joe Mauldin and Jerry Allison, members of Holly's Crickets, and accuses them of unjustified claims to royalty rights for recording sessions they didn't take part in. Also named is the estate of Norman Petty, Holly's onetime manager, who died in 1984. The suit, filed by Holly's widow along with Holly's brothers, Larry and Travis, and his sister, Pat, says that Petty "conspired with MCA to defraud the Holly heirs."