HLC Properties, Ltd. v. Superior Court

At issue in this matter are 59 written communications pertaining to three recording contracts executed by the late Harry Lillis Crosby, the talented entertainer known to all as Bing Crosby. In the proceedings below, the trial court rejected plaintiffs’ claim of attorney-client privilege with respect to the 59 documents, many of which were either authored or received by persons Crosby had hired to help manage his business interests. We conclude that the trial court ruled correctly and that the Court of Appeal erred in granting plaintiffs’ petition for writ of mandate.

Factual and Procedural Background

Bing Crosby was one of the most successful entertainers of his time. When he died in 1977, he left an extensive portfolio of interests in records, radio and television productions, motion pictures, and musical and literary works, as well as the contract and publicity rights related to those interests. He also left business interests he had accumulated in mining, oil, real estate, and other financial ventures. Crosby owned these interests during his lifetime, but he managed them with the assistance of others he employed. One such employee was Basil Grillo (Grillo), an…