Soundgarden members have responded to a buyout lawsuit filed by late frontman Chris Cornell‘s widow Vicky Cornell.
Last week, Vicky, who in 2019 had sued the band over royalties and the rights to seven unreleased songs, filed a new lawsuit seeking a federal Judge to value Cornell’s interest in the band, as well as its related properties, after she was offered a $300,000 buyout by the remaining members of Soundgarden.
In a latest statement, Soundgarden’s surviving members say that the “buyout offer that was demanded by the estate has been grossly mischaracterized and we are confident that clarity will come out in court.”
“All offers to buy out our interests have been unsolicited and rejected outright. For more than a year, Soundgarden’s social media accounts have been hijacked; misleading and confusing our fans,” they added. “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.”
Chris died in 2017 at the age of 52 while on tour with Soundgarden in Detroit. He left his property, including his intellectual and personal property rights, to Vicky and his two minor children.
Vicky’s lawsuit alleges that the buyout offer “does not amount to the royalties that Vicky received from Soundgarden’s master recordings in 2018 alone.”
The complaint added that Soundgarden made their buyout offer to Cornell after receiving an offer from a music investor, who offered to purchase Soundgarden’s master recordings alone for $16 million.
Vicky also claimed that she counter-offered $12 million for the band’s collective interests, equaling $4 million per surviving member, which they denied in December. She later offered them $21 million for the band’s interests, she says, and that offer was also rejected.
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