The three remaining members of Soundgarden have countersued Chris Cornell's widow, Vicky, alleging she kept the money raised from a 2019 tribute concert.
According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida, Miami division, Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil and Ben Shepherd said they agreed to perform for free at last year's show with the understanding that any revenue generated would go directly to the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation. But, they claim, the “recipient(s) of the revenue ... have not been identified.” The band members are demanding a trial by jury, with all compensation and damages to be determined by the court.
They also claim that Vicky, without their permission, took control of the group's social media accounts and that, under Soundgarden's name, “removed fan comments, and has herself posted images and comments to publicly accessible band social media pages. Some of those postings by Vicky Cornell are intended to denigrate the band and surviving band members.”
In a statement Cornell's lawyer called the suit "salacious, scurrilous and vicious", and also referenced his client's original suit, alleging that the surviving members are withholding seven vocal tracks that are reportedly Cornell's last recordings, saying, "Their transparently desperate counterclaims do not change the fact that they are the ones who have improperly asserted ownership of vocal recordings that were created solely by Chris and that they are the ones who have unlawfully withheld substantial sums of money from Chris’ widow and children."
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