Vicky Cornell sues Soundgarden for ‘missing’ royalties

Vicky Cornell, widow of late-Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell, has filed a lawsuit against the much-beloved grunge band, claiming that its members are withholding “indisputably owed” royalties from her and her two children, Toni and Christopher.

The lawsuit, filed in Florida federal court on Monday, alleges that the remaining band members: Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd — along with their manager, Rit Venerus — are responsible for “shamelessly conspiring to wrongfully withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the family.

Following his tragic passing in 2017, Soundgarden sought permission to use seven of Chris’ unreleased songs — which were recorded in his home studio shortly before his death — for a future album, according to legal documents obtained by Pitchfork.

Initially, Vicky granted the band permission to use those vocal tracks for the potential album, provided that they were used “in a way that would respect” her late husband’s legacy, however, according to the documents, Soundgarden later “refused” to comply with her requests, prompting the lawsuit.

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Members of Soundgarden arrive at the world premiere of The Avengers held at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.

Frank Trapper / Corbis via Getty Images

Rather than cooperating with Vicky on a potential marketing strategy for a seventh Soundgarden album, the suit alleges that a year after their agreement was made, the band was unwilling to commit to “any type of approval process.”

The files later purport that the band refused to work with one of Chris’ “trusted producers” as originally promised.

In the lengthy document, Vicky called Soundgarden’s lack of royalty payments “an unlawful attempt to strong-arm Chris’ Estate into turning over certain audio recordings created by Chris before he passed away.”

Though Chris’ recordings were allegedly written solely by him, and later “bequeathed” to his Estate, Soundgarden has claimed otherwise, suggesting that they had been “working on the files in a collaborative effort” with the deceased singer.

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The widow shared a post to Instagram expanding on the legal battle on Monday, adding that she felt exploited by her husband’s former bandmates.

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I have been taking time these past few weeks to be grateful for all the good people around me and for those who have lifted me up at the very worst times in my life. The silver lining, during the storm, is finding and appreciating the subtle glow of those who sincerely support you in your life unconditionally. However, sometimes while you grieve the one you physically lost, you realize that you must now grieve the loss of some of those you considered friends and family as well. I am shocked at how often this occurs. It’s not just me, or the rock-star widow, or the political widow; it is the case for the vast majority of women after their partners have passed. It transcends socio-economic class, race, and religion. It is an unpleasant and unfortunately all too common theme. Hard-hearted family members, friends, and business associates; who will exploit a widow’s vulnerability when she’s broken and alone. These other people who have decided that her time is up as well. Through support groups and other widowed friends, and during both difficult and supportive conversations, I have learned that I am not a unique case. This seems to be the inevitable plight of the widow in this world and I cannot help feeling angry, sad and betrayed. I will not be bullied or shamed into silence. I will not accept something so wrong, so lacking in compassion or decency, even with the clear but unspoken threat of social rejection hanging over me. This was not the way I would have chosen to move forward. But I will not be pushed aside for someone else’s convenience or gain. I will not sacrifice our children’s futures for someone else’s greed. And I will not let someone else make me feel shame because the man I loved was taken from all of us too soon. I will do justice by my husband’s work and memory; for our children and for everything we stood for. I want to thank everyone who has stood by Chris and has supported us through this devastating time. Your love and your kindness will never be forgotten. #chriscornell forever 🖤

A post shared by Vicky Cornell (@vickycornell) on Dec 9, 2019 at 6:01am PST

She wrote: “I am shocked at how often this occurs. It’s not just me, or the rock-star widow, or the political widow; it is the case for the vast majority of women after their partners have passed. It is an unpleasant and unfortunately all too common theme.”

Furthermore, the legal document alleges that in order to get their hands on Chris’ studio tracks, Soundgarden “resorted to pressure tactics, harassment, unlawful conversion of royalties, and extortion.”

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The suit added that the band also “callously [provoked] their ‘rabid’” fanbase by suggesting that Vicky was putting up a delay and potentially stopping the release of new Soundgarden music altogether.

Vicky’s attorney added in the file that the former bandmates were already aware that “stalkers have [previously] threatened the safety of [the Cornell family]” following Chris’ death.

On her decision to file the suit, Vicky wrote on Instagram, “This was not the way I would have chosen to move forward. But I will not be pushed aside for someone else’s convenience or gain.”

She concluded: “I will do justice by my husband’s work and memory; for our children and for everything we stood for.”