The dramatic story of an iconic movie costume from The Wizard of Oz, thought lost for decades, went through another plot twist Monday when a judge blocked its planned sale at auction.
One of the blue- and white gingham dresses Judy Garland wore in 1939 for her role as Dorothy was scheduled to be part of an auction of Hollywood memorabilia in Los Angeles on Tuesday, put up for sale by Catholic University of America. The dress was rediscovered last year in a shoebox at the school during preparations for a renovation.
A presale estimate of $800,000 to $1.2 million for the dress was withdrawn by auctioneer Bonhams.
A motion for a preliminary injunction was granted in Manhattan by U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe after a hearing in a lawsuit filed by a relative of Father Gilbert Hartke, who worked at the university and was given the dress in 1973.
Hartke died in 1986, and a niece, Barbara Ann Hartke, 81, filed a lawsuit against the school and auctioneer earlier this month after media accounts showed that the dress was going up for auction.
She said that the dress belongs to her uncle's closest living relative. According to her lawsuit, the university has no ownership interest in the dress, as there is no documentation demonstrating decedent ever donated the dress to Catholic University. In a filing opposing the suit's request for an injunction, the school s attorneys said that Hartke, a Dominican priest, had taken a vow to never accept gifts in his personal capacity and so the dress couldn't be considered part of any estate.
Catholic University officials had said the dress went missing for decades after being given to Hartke, then head of the drama department.
Garland wore several versions of the dress during the filming of the film, auctioneer Bonhams said the one found at Catholic University was one of two that still had its accompanying blouse, and that Garland wore it in the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West. Bonhams didn't make a statement.
In a statement, lawyers for the university said, "We look forward to presenting our position, and the overwhelming evidence against Ms. Hartke's claim, to the court in the course of this litigation. An email seeking comment was sent to Hartke's attorney.