Led Zeppelin to Face Retrial Over ‘Stairway’ Theft Claims

  • U.S. appeals court voids Zeppelin victory in 2016 jury verdict
  • Iconic rock band was sued over origins of ‘Stairway to Heaven’

Led Zeppelin performs in 1977.

Source:: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Led Zeppelin must go back on trial in a lawsuit that accuses the classic rock grandees of stealing the opening chords of “Stairway to Heaven" from an obscure 1968 instrumental.

In a stunning turn-about in a challenge to the authenticity of one of rock’s most famous songs, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Friday that a 2016 trial wasn’t fair to the group Spirit and its late guitarist, Randy California, wrote the song “Taurus."