Names and faces

— Ryan O’Neal may have enough evidence to show that he was defamed by a man who claimed the actor stole a valuable portrait of the late Farrah Fawcett, an appeals court in Los Angeles ruled Thursday. A divided panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeals ruled that O’Neal’s case against Craig Nevius, a former Fawcett associate, should be allowed to proceed and that the actor may be able to win some damages. One justice disagreed and wrote that the case should be dismissed. O’Neal sued in July 2011, claiming that he was defamed by Nevius’ comments that the actor had stolen a Fawcett portrait created by Andy Warhol. The painting is the subject of a separate lawsuit between O’Neal and the University of Texas, which claims that Fawcett left the artwork to the school after her 2009 death. Nevius’ attorney, Lincoln Bandlow, said he would appeal the ruling to the California Supreme Court. He had appealed a lower court’s ruling allowing the case to go forward. O’Neal’s attorney, Todd Eagan, wrote in a statement that he and O’Neal were pleased with the ruling. “We look forward to a complete victory against Mr. Nevius at trial,” he wrote. O’Neal claimed in the case that Warhol gave him the portrait, and he intends to bequeath it to his only son from his longtime relationship with Fawcett, Redmond O’Neal. Nevius’ comments that O’Neal stole the artwork were made in interviews with Star magazine and Good Morning America, and he cooperated with the University of Texas investigators searching for the portrait.

The legal contract for the American debut of the English punk rock band The Clash is being offered by a New Hampshire auction house, among other band items. The Clash documents dated Jan. 23, 1979, were drafted for a performance at New York’s Palladium the next month. They include a diagram of the stage and a proposed advertising layout. The band, known for “London Calling,” “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Rock the Casbah,” would play the Palladium several more times that year. A rare Fender guitar used by singer Joe Strummer and other items also were offered online Thursday by RR Auction in Amherst. Much of the collection belonged to Gerry Harrington, Strummer’s former manager, who died Feb. 9. The auction ends Thursday.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/17/2013

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