The band was questioned over the origins of the iconic riff after similarities were drawn between the song and Spirit’s ‘Taurus’. A jury found that the band did not plagerise Spirit’s 1968 track, despite the chord progression showing similarities.
Following the case, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant released the following statement.
“We are grateful for the jury’s conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favour, putting to rest questions about the origins of ‘Stairway To Heaven’ and confirming what we have known for 45 years,” they said. “We appreciate our fans’ support, and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us.”
However, just when you thought the whirlwind lawsuit was over, the trustee for late Spirit guitarist Randy California (Randy Wolfe), has filed a notice of appeal regarding the outcome of the case.
The notice reads: “Please take notice that Plaintiff Michael Skidmore, Trustee for the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, hereby appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from the final judgment entered on June 23, 2016, as well as any and all interlocutory rulings, decisions, and orders that gave rise to the judgment and are merged therein”.
Skidmore’s attorney, Francis Malofiy, had stated previously that there were “many appealable issues” from the outcome of the trial. Malofiy’s credibility was questioned many times during the trial, with the attorney receiving over a hundred sustained objections and multiple admonishments during the Zeppelin trial. He was also recently suspended from practising law after being accused of acting in a “flagrantly unprofessional and offensive manner” during the trial.
