Yoko Ono has reached an out of court settlement with her former assistant Frederic Seaman, hours before the court case dealing with her lawsuit was due to hear closing arguments. Ono was suing Seaman for the theft of some of John Lennon’s personal possessions after his death, and for the breaking of a confidentiality agreement in the publishing of a book about Lennon’s last years. The settlement forces Seaman to surrender nearly 400 photos of the former Beatle and his family that he took when he worked as their assistance. Coupled with Judge Leonard Sand’s ruling last week that Seaman did, in fact, break a legally binding confidentiality agreement, the latest settlement means a complete victory for Ono.
In a public apology to Ono and her son Sean Lennon, Seaman said: "I offer no excuses for my conduct, and ask only that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. After more than 20 years, it's time to ask for forgiveness for my actions."