It's over two years since Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell sadly died, but the ramifications of his death are still being felt.
Cornell's widow Vicky is suing his former band members and Soundgarden's manager Rit Venerus for withholding royalties.
She alleges in a lawsuit filed yesterday that the surviving members are trying to 'strong-arm' her into turning over seven unreleased recordings by Cornell. She claims that the band have no legal right to them - but that they are withholding royalties owed to his estate in a bid to force her hand.
The claim read: "Through this action, Vicky seeks to vindicate her late-husband’s rights in the sound recordings that he created, to recover the substantial sums of money and personal property that are being unlawfully withheld by Venerus and the band, and to emphatically answer the lyrical question her husband raised about his former bandmates, ‘how much more can they get?’ NOTHING."
The band apparently want to use the unreleased recordings on a Soundgarden album. Vicky Cornell claims that she would be happy to allow them to do so, but with two conditions - that his 'trusted producer' be used, and that she be consulted on the marketing strategy for the album.
A deal was allegedly agreed between the two parties, but she says that the band reneged on the agreement and decided to pursue the line that the recordings were Soundgarden's property.
The band members have so far not commented publicly.
