Chris Cornell’s Widow Is Suing Soundgarden Over Missing Royalty Payments

Vicky Cornell is suing the remaining members of Soundgarden over missing royalty payments.

According to TMZ and Pitchfork, Chris Cornell’s widow, Vicky, is suing his former bandmates in Soundgarden over missing royalties and the rights to seven unreleased recordings by the late singer.

The legal documents filed today, December 9, in a Florida federal court by Vicky and her attorneys state that the band have “shamelessly conspired to wrongfully withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars indisputably owed to Chris’ widow and minor children in an unlawful attempt to strong-arm Chris’ Estate into turning over certain audio recordings created by Chris before he passed away.”

The audio recordings in question were “solely authored by Chris; contain Chris’ own vocal tracks; and were bequeathed to Chris’ Estate”, according to the document, though Soundgarden claim that these recordings had come about “in a collaborative effort”.

Vicky says that she previously offered to share this material with Soundgarden, “provided that they were released in a way that would respect her late husband’s legacy and wishes, as well as including having his trusted producer involved”, but the band allegedly refused.

Following the news of the lawsuit, Vicky took to Instagram to post a statement about the situation, stating that she feels “angry, sad and betrayed”, and “will not be bullied or shamed into silence”.

“This was not the way I would have chosen to move forward,” she continued. “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.”

Read Vicky’s full statement below:

“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.”

Last month, guitarist Kim Thayil was asked by SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation LA Invasion if there would be any problems in potentially releasing new Soundgarden music featuring unreleased Chris recordings, and he replied: “There shouldn’t be – there really isn’t – other than the fact that we don’t have those files. And I think that will happen. It would be ridiculous if it didn’t. But these are difficult things – partnerships and property.”