Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, also known as “Pharma Bro,” has been ordered by a federal judge to turn over all copies of Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” to his lawyers by Friday. The judge also requested that Shkreli report the names of anyone he distributed the music to and any revenues he received from it.
This legal action stems from Shkreli being sued by a cryptocurrency collective, PleasrDAO, which had purchased the only known copy of the album for $4.75 million. The collective accused Shkreli of violating their agreement by retaining digital copies of the album and sharing them with his social media followers.
The judge’s ruling has been deemed a victory by PleasrDAO’s attorney, Steven Cooper, who expressed satisfaction that the court recognized the need for immediate intervention to prevent further wrongdoing by Shkreli.
Shkreli’s lawyer, Edward Paltzik, maintained that the judge’s order does not impact the final outcome of the case and does not indicate a likelihood of success for PleasrDAO’s claims. The album, created by Wu-Tang Clan as a single copy to be viewed as contemporary art, was bought by Shkreli in 2015 before his conviction on unrelated charges.
In 2021, the album was sold to satisfy some of Shkreli’s court debts, and he was released from prison in 2022 after serving most of a seven-year sentence.
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