Walter Becker estate responds to Donald Fagen lawsuit over Steely Dan ownership

Last week it was reported that Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen was suing the estate of his bandmate Walter Becker (who died in September) over rights/ownership of Steely Dan. At the heart of it was a 1972 agreement where if one of them quit or died, the other had the option to buy his shares. Becker’s estate gave a statement to Rolling Stone:

We believe the agreement to which Mr. Fagen refers in his suit — drafted 45 years ago — was not in effect at the time of Walter’s death. Mr. Fagen’s lawsuit, riddled with half-truths and omissions, misleadingly fails to state that the day after Walter died, Mr. Fagen had his lawyer send a demand letter to Walter’s estate, thus beginning a legal campaign against Walter’s family immediately after his death.

Fagen also claims that Becker’s widow sent a letter stating she is entitled to 50% ownership of Steely Dan, and that the Becker estate currently has control over the band’s website. “The misrepresentation that his widow, [Delia Becker] initiated any litigious action is simply untrue,” added the Becker estate’s representative.