The ongoing litigation between Soundgarden members and Vicky Cornell, wife of late vocalist Chris Cornell, has continued, with the band’s members issuing a statement in response to a new lawsuit over the weekend.
If you’ve been paying attention to the world of Seattle grunge over the last few months, then the chances are good you’ve either been focusing on either the latest Pearl Jam album or the controversy surrounding Soundgarden.
For those unaware, the band have been embroiled in a number of legal battles with Vicky Cornell in recent years, ranging from a lawsuit surrounding withheld royalties and unreleased recordings in 2019, and another just last year which claimed that Cornell had used funds raised by by a 2019 charity concert for “personal purposes”.
Now, another legal fight is underway, with Cornell last week filing a lawsuit regarding the sum offered as part of a buyout. As Spin reports, Chris Cornell and the remaining members of Soundgarden (that is, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd) were all involved in a partnership at the time of his death. However, his widow Vicky reportedly requested the surviving members of the band buy her out of the partnership, which is where the new legal issues arise.
Cornell alleged the band offered “the villainously low figure of less than $300,000,” despite a seperate $16m offer being made to her for unheard recordings. Cornell claims that counter offers of both $4m and $7m were also rejected by the band, prompting the new lawsuit to be filed.
However, in a new statement offered by the members of Soundgarden over the weekend, the group claim that there is more at play than just what has been reported so far, with the current goal being to finalise an upcoming record of unreleased tracks.
“The buyout offer that was demanded by the Estate has been grossly mischaracterized and we are confident that clarity will come out in court, a statement from the group reads, as per Spin. “All offers to buy out our interests have been unsolicited and rejected outright.
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“For more than a year, Soundgarden’s social media accounts have been hijacked; misleading and confusing our fans. Being a band from Washington State since 1984, we are proud of Soundgarden’s musical legacy, work and career. We look forward to completing the final Soundgarden album.”
Soundgarden’s final record was 2012’s King Animal, and was their first new album in 16 years, and first since their reformation two years earlier.
Check out ‘Fell On Black Days’ by Soundgarden:
