Armenian church sues Getty museum over Bible pages Madenataran museum in Yerevan, Armenia.

Armenian church sues Getty museum over Bible pages Madenataran museum in Yerevan, Armenia.

The church's lawsuit contends the missing pages became part of a private collection of a family in Watertown, Mass. They were loaned to the Pierpont Morgan Library, now known as the Morgan Library and Museum, in New York in 1994 for an exhibition.

Michael Bazyler, a Chapman University law professor and member of the plaintiff's legal team, said Thursday that attorneys hope the pages can be returned during negotiation rather than litigation.

"We contend these seven pages are stolen property, and they can never get title," Bazyler said. "We are asking for the return of the seven pages back to the church."

Jaskol, the Getty spokeswoman, said the ownership of the pages has never been questioned until now, and that "the Getty believes the lawsuit is groundless and should be dismissed."

Bazyler believes this is the first case filed in the United States for the return of cultural or religious objects taken around the time of World War I, when historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks.

The event is widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

"It's a matter of historical identity and preservation of the Armenian culture," said Western Prelacy board member Levon Kirakosian. "It's important everyone realizes that."

This undated image provided by the J. Paul Getty Museum shows a detail from the Armenian Bible, illustrated by T'oros Roslin, dating to 1256, and was acquired by the Los Angeles-based museum from a private collector in 1994. Attorneys for the Armenian church have filed a lawsuit against the J. Paul Getty Museum, demanding the return of seven pages ripped from the Armenian Bible, according to a report Thursday June 3, 2010.(AP Photo/J. Paul Getty Museum)