Over the past few years, the surviving members of Soundgarden and Chris Cornell’s estate have been embroiled in a number of legal issues. On Tuesday, the two parties agreed to settle the issue surrounding the band’s social media accounts and control of the Soundgarden website.
“Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, the personal representative of the Estate of Christopher Cornell, are pleased to announce that, effective June 15, 2021, they have come to a temporary agreement that will transfer the Soundgarden social media accounts and website to the band’s remaining members, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd and their managers, Red Light Management,” a statement obtained by SPIN read. “This includes Soundgarden’s website [https://www.soundgardenworld.com], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Soundgarden], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/soundgarden/], and Twitter [https://twitter.com/soundgarden]. The agreement marks a productive first step towards healing and open dialogue, and the parties wish for the social media accounts to celebrate the Band’s accomplishments and music while continuing to honor Chris’ legacy.”
“Through our joint social media efforts and our temporary agreement, my family, along with the surviving members of Soundgarden, hope to celebrate Chris and his music out of mutual respect and love. We all recognize the profound pain caused by Chris’s tragic loss and the path it has taken us down,” Vicky Cornell said in a statement of her own.
Here’s what the surviving members had to say in their first post since regaining temporary control:
Earlier this year, Vicky Cornell sued the surviving members after alleging that they offered her “the villainously low figure of less than $300,000” to buy her out her late husband’s interest in the band. According to the suit, she allegedly received a $16,000,000 offer from an outside music investor for Soundgarden’s master recordings.
Cornell and the surviving Soundgarden members have been in litigation in federal court since 2019 when Cornell filed a suit alleging that they are wrongfully withholding royalty money owed to the Cornell estate in an attempt to force Vicky Cornell to turn over seven unreleased recordings Chris Cornell made in 2017 before he died.
