A Dublin judge has ordered a stylist formerly employed by U2 to return several items to the band, most notably a Stetson cowboy hat once worn by Bono.

The ruling came Tuesday after a brief court battle between Lola Cashman and the Irish rockers over who owns the memorabilia.

Justice Matthew Deery rejected Cashman’s claims that the items were given to her as a gift during the 1987 Joshua Tree tour.

During testimony last week, Bono said the Stetson hat was a band icon, and that he wouldn’t have given it up willingly. He has worn it in videos like Desire and on the cover of 1988’s Rattle and Hum.

The testimony contradicted Cashman’s claims that she received the hat after an Arizona concert while dancing backstage in her underwear.

“The weight of evidence is entirely against the defendant’s version of events,” said Deery. “Bearing in mind all the evidence, it is highly unlikely that the items were given in this way.”

Cashman tried to sell the hat, as well as several other items, through a London auction house in 2002, prompting U2 to file a lawsuit.

She must also return a set of earrings and some 200 photographs of the band, which were ruled to be in violation of the confidentiality agreement she signed to work for U2.

Neither the band nor Cashman was in court during the ruling.

Cashman, who left the group in 1988, published a tell-all book last year titled Inside the Zoo With U2: My Life With the World’s Biggest Band.






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