Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’ court case may be declared a mistrial after just one day

Band are accused of copying the guitar riff for their classic track

The ‘Stairway To Heaven’ trial, which sees Led Zeppelin accused of plagiarism, could be heading for a mistrial after just one day.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page appeared in court in Los Angeles yesterday (June 14) as the trial got underway.

It is claimed that Led Zeppelin copied the iconic 1971 song’s guitar riff from ‘Taurus’, a 1968 song by Californian band Spirit. The case is now being heard in Los Angeles after the estate of late Spirit guitarist Randy California sued Led Zeppelin in 2014 over alleged similarities between the two songs.

Advertisement

READ MORE: The Led Zeppelin ‘Stairway To Heaven’ Plagiarism Trial Explained

However, The Hollywood Reporter now claims that there has been discussion about a potential mistrial after the attorney for the Spirit member’s estate played a video that hadn’t previously been approved to be shown during the trial.

Led Zeppelin’s attorney Peter Anderson objected to the video being played while US District Court Judge R Gary Klausner said its use could be “grounds for a mistrial”.

NME has approached representatives of Plant and Page for a comment on the reports.

Advertisement

Later, Page and Plant watched on yesterday as the trial’s jury was selected. Seven of the first 14 prospective jurors were rejected, including a Zeppelin fan who said his “love for these two guys” is “very strong”. A jury comprising four men and four women was then agreed upon by both sets of lawyers.

Page and Plant are not legally required to attend the trial, but it had long been expected that they would attend. They had last appeared in public together in 2012 during a press conference to promote ‘Celebration Day’, the live album and DVD based on Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion concert at London O2.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories