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A 1930s picture of Ira Gershwin is on a dust jacket of a book containing his song lyrics. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and K&M Liquidation Sales Ltd.

Lawsuit demands return of 135 Ira Gershwin letters

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
A 1930s picture of Ira Gershwin is on a dust jacket of a book containing his song lyrics. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and K&M Liquidation Sales Ltd.
A 1930s picture of Ira Gershwin is on a dust jacket of a book containing his song lyrics. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and K&M Liquidation Sales Ltd.

NEW YORK (AP) – A lawsuit filed in New York City claims that a memorabilia dealer is trying to illegally sell 135 letters that Ira Gershwin wrote to a biographer of the legendary lyricist.

The suit was filed by Carla Jablonski. She says her father, Edward Jablonski, received the letters from Gershwin between 1941 and 1980.

The lawsuit accuses the dealer, Gary Zimet, of trying to sell the letters to the Library of Congress last month.

Jablonski told the New York Post she doesn’t know how Zimet obtained them.

The lawsuit demands their return.

Zimet said the lawsuit is without merit.

Edward Jablonski wrote several books on Gershwin, including the 1958 biography The Gershwin Years: George and Ira.

After he died, the family donated most of his Gershwin archive to the Library of Congress.

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Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-05-09-12 1126GMT