Judge dismisses motion to lift ban on Madonna auction

A New York judge has rejected calls to reverse his decision banning the auction of several of Madonna’s “highly personal items”, including a pair of used underwear.
The Material Girl singer was granted a temporary restraining order on Tuesday (18Jul17) against the planned online sale of her former property, including a letter sent to Madonna by her rapper ex-boyfriend Tupac Shakur while he was in jail, a hairbrush containing strands of her hair, and a pair of her unwashed panties.
In her initial filing, Madonna claimed her former friend, art consultant Darlene Lutz, may have stolen some of the possessions she had handed over to auctioneers at Gotta Have It! Collectibles to place up for sale on Wednesday (19Jul17).
She also vented, “I understand that my DNA could be extracted from a piece of my hair. It is outrageous and grossly offensive that my DNA could be auctioned for sale to the general public.”
Gotta Have It! Collectibles bosses and Lutz appealed the ruling by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Gerald Lebovits, but their motion was dismissed on Thursday (20Jul17), and in his decision, he hinted Madonna would likely succeed in permanently blocking the auction.
According to the New York Post, he noted, “She (Madonna) has made a strong likelihood to succeed in this litigation.”
A final hearing on the matter has been set for 4 September (17).
Other items removed from the auction include personal photographs, unreleased music and “intimate love letters” written by Madonna, but not sent, to previous boyfriends, including model and actor John Enos and Peter Shue. Shue provided the panties for the auction, claiming they were a personal gift from Madonna during their brief 1994 relationship.