John Lennon's former personal assistant has denied breaking a confidentiality agreement he had with the former Beatle. He is in court facing litigation from Yoko Ono who claims Frederic Seaman broke the agreement by publishing a tell-all book and previously unseen photos. She also accuses him of stealing Lennon’s belongings and selling them to fans.
In court yesterday Seaman admitted signing a confidentiality agreement but denied violating it. Evidence presented by the Ono’s lawyer Paul LiCalsi suggested he had intended to cash in with a book on Lennon all along – they showed an extract from Seaman’s own journal which recounted a 1980 conversation in which he told Lennon he wanted a career in the music industry. "I'm glad I managed to throw him off track, and apparently convinced him I have no interest in writing," the entry read. But Seaman said the comment was innocent: "It occurred to me that I was an eyewitness to history, and at some point I would like to publish a book about Mr. Lennon.”
Ono dismissed Seaman in 1981, unaware he looted files following Lennon's shooting outside their Central Park West apartment building, her suit says. In 1983, Seaman pleaded guilty to second-degree larceny for stealing Lennon's diaries; he was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to return the property. Seaman said he has returned all the items; but Ono claims he returned only some of them. The latest lawsuit demands that Seaman surrender the rights to 374 photos he took of Lennon, turn over about $75,000 US from the sale of the rock legend's papers and pay unspecified damages.