NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Shkreli, once dubbed “Pharma Bro” for inflating the price of a life-saving drug, was ordered by a federal judge Monday to turn over all copies of the Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” to his lawyers by Friday.
Judge Pamela K. Chen of Brooklyn wrote that Shkreli must produce all copies of the album, which is called the rarest in the world, by September 30. He must also provide the names of everyone to whom he distributed the music and all the income he earned from it.
In June, Shkreli was sued by a cryptocurrency collective that purchased the only known copy of the album for $4.75 million.
The PleasrDAO collective accused Shkreli of withholding digital copies of the album, contrary to the agreement, and distributing them widely among his followers on social media.
PleasrDAO’s attorney, Steven Cooper, said in a statement that Chen’s ruling was “an important victory for our client.”
He added: “We are pleased that Judge Chen has recognized that immediate help is needed to prevent Mr. Shkreli’s ongoing misdeeds.”
Edward Paltzik, a lawyer for Shkreli, said in an email that the judge’s order maintains the “perceived status quo” as the case proceeds and has “no bearing on the ultimate outcome of the case.”
He also noted that the judge did not find that PleasrDAO was likely to succeed on the merits or that its allegations were true.
Wu-Tang Clan spent six years producing Once Upon a Time in Shaolin before auctioning off a single copy of the 31-track double album in 2015 on the condition that it would not be released publicly. The multi-platinum hip-hop group wanted it to be viewed as a piece of contemporary art.
Shkreli bought the album for $2 million before he was convicted of lying to investors in two failed hedge funds he ran and defrauding them of millions of dollars.
In 2021, Once Upon a Time is Shaolin was sold to pay off some of Shkreli’s legal debts.
Shkreli was released from prison in 2022 after serving most of his seven-year sentence.
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