Since Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell's untimely passing in 2017, his wife Vicky has been embroiled in a legal battle with his former bandmates over the rights of his music.
Their relationship has been pretty acrimonious since the rock icon's death, with Vicky suing the band over royalties and rights to songs in 2019 - but it has recently taken a very nasty turn.
Last week, Cornell filed a new lawsuit claiming that the remaining members of the rock band had offered her a "villainously low figure" for Chris's stake in the band and has asked a judge to intervene and settle the dispute.
She says that Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd first offered her $278,000 for Cornell's stake in the band, yet claims that the band's master recordings alone are worth $16 million, as was recently offered by an impartial investor. After she countered with an offer of $12 million and then $21 million - which were both rejected by the band - she filed the lawsuit.
In response, the three band members issued a statement accusing her of 'hijacking' Soundgarden's legacy.
It read: "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. 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 Cornell was 52 when he took his own life in 2017.
