Judge Allows Suit Over Jerry Garcia's Guitars

A Marin County Superior Court has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that disputes the ownership of Jerry Garcia's guitars.

Grateful Dead Productions, the Novato-based company representing the surviving band members, had asked the judge to dismiss Doug Irwin's lawsuit for rights to the guitars, known as Wolf, Tiger, Rosebud, Headless and Wolf Jr.

The guitars could be worth millions on the collectors market. Irwin, a custom guitar maker, says he is the rightful owner of the guitars he built for the late rock 'n' roll superstar.

Garcia left the guitars to Irwin in his will. But the company claims it bought the instruments and they were not Garcia's to give away.