DOCUMENT: Celebrity, Sports

Joe Montana In Love Letter Lawsuit

Football legend sues ex-wife, Texas auctioneer over collectibles sale

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Joe Montana In Love Letter Lawsuit

MAY 8--Football legend Joe Montana is suing his ex-wife and a Texas auction house over the sale of love letters and memorabilia from the Hall of Fame quarterback's college days at the University of Notre Dame.

Montana, 51, claims that the sale of the assorted items--which were auctioned last weekend by a Dallas, Texas firm--violated his copyright and privacy rights. In a U.S. District Court complaint, Montana names Kim Moses, his first wife, and Heritage Auction as defendants.

As seen on these pages, the collectibles offered for sale (which apparently were consigned by Moses, the athlete's hometown sweetheart) included Montana's freshman I.D. card; the Moses-Montana 1974 marriage certificate; a letter to Moses penned on a Ziggy card; an 'I Love You' note; and a letter Montana wrote to Moses's parents describing his first year on the Notre Dame football squad.

A copy of Montana's lawsuit, first reported by Courthouse News, can be found here. The ex-athlete, who is seeking damages in excess of $75,000, contends that Moses obtained several of the items without his consent at some point after December 1979 (the couple had been divorced by that point). (13 pages)