Martin Shkreli, widely known as “Pharma Bro” after he exorbitantly raised the price of a lifesaving medication, has been ordered by a federal judge to hand over any copies of the Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” by Friday.
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The order, issued by Pamela Chen, a federal judge for the Eastern District of New York, is a temporary ruling in an ongoing case alleging that Shkreli violated a court order to forfeit the one-of-a-kind album to settle some of his debts after he was sentenced for securities fraud.
The art collective that bought the secret album from the government, PleasrDAO, sued Shkreli in June, alleging that he duplicated the album, sent copies of it to other people and played parts of it during live streams in violation of his original purchase agreement when the Wu-Tang Clan auctioned it off.
Chen ordered Shkreli, who originally purchased the sole copy of the 31-track album for $2 million in 2015, to give up any copies he might have to his attorney by the end of the week and, by Sept. 30, to submit a list detailing any copies and any people he may have sent them to.
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In a statement Tuesday, PleasrDAO’s attorney Steven Cooper called the ruling an “important victory” and said the judgment was “necessary to thwart the continuing bad acts of Mr. Shkreli.” PleasrDAO purchased what it believed was the only copy of the album in 2021.
Shkreli’s attorney Edward Paltzik said Chen’s preliminary measure was to “maintain the perceived status quo” and that it “has no bearing whatsoever on the final outcome of the case.” He added that the ruling did not mean that the collective’s “allegations are true.”
Theo Dumont, a publicist for Wu-Tang member RZA, said the hip-hop group had no comment.
Attempts to reach representatives of other living Wu-Tang members were unsuccessful Wednesday evening.
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The order, issued by Pamela Chen, a federal judge for the Eastern District of New York, is a temporary ruling in an ongoing case alleging that Shkreli violated a court order to forfeit the one-of-a-kind album to settle some of his debts after he was sentenced for securities fraud.
The art collective that bought the secret album from the government, PleasrDAO, sued Shkreli in June, alleging that he duplicated the album, sent copies of it to other people and played parts of it during live streams in violation of his original purchase agreement when the Wu-Tang Clan auctioned it off.
Chen ordered Shkreli, who originally purchased the sole copy of the 31-track album for $2 million in 2015, to give up any copies he might have to his attorney by the end of the week and, by Sept. 30, to submit a list detailing any copies and any people he may have sent them to.
🏛️
Follow Politics
In a statement Tuesday, PleasrDAO’s attorney Steven Cooper called the ruling an “important victory” and said the judgment was “necessary to thwart the continuing bad acts of Mr. Shkreli.” PleasrDAO purchased what it believed was the only copy of the album in 2021.
Shkreli’s attorney Edward Paltzik said Chen’s preliminary measure was to “maintain the perceived status quo” and that it “has no bearing whatsoever on the final outcome of the case.” He added that the ruling did not mean that the collective’s “allegations are true.”
Theo Dumont, a publicist for Wu-Tang member RZA, said the hip-hop group had no comment.
Attempts to reach representatives of other living Wu-Tang members were unsuccessful Wednesday evening.
