The Shubert Organization Sues to Recover Tiffany Fixture Stolen in '76 Broadway Heist

The Shubert Organization is seeking damages over a recently unearthed Tiffany lighting fixture that was stolen from the Belasco Theater in a still-unsolved 1976 heist.

The fixture, one of five stolen from the theater in the heist, had recently been traced to a resident Rockland County, New York when Vilma Partridge consigned it for sale by Lillian Nassau, an antiques gallery specializing in pieces by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios.

In a complaint filed late Tuesday evening, the Shubert Organization cited that the gallery recognized the piece as one of the Tiffany lighting fixtures stolen during a break-in at the Belasco on February 28, 1976 and returned the item to Partridge .

The complaint states that Partridge and her daughter, Anne, who will also serve as a co-defendant and her legal representative, have refused to return the fixture to the Shubert Organization after Lillian Nassau returned it to them, prompting legal action from the theatrical organization.

Though the Partridges are not accused of any involvement in the fixture's theft, Shubert's complaint states that, "Vilma never acquired good title to the fixture, and the fixture remains the property of Shubert."

Defendants could not be reached for comment.