Late Soundgarden vocalist’s widow’s legal war with bang members complicates
Los Angeles, May 8 (IANS) Chris Cornell’s widow Vicky has been countersued by the late rock star’s band Soundgarden over “fraudulent inducement”.
The band claim that Vicky used up the money, which was raised for charity, for “personal purposes” involving herself and her family, reports aceshowbiz.com.
A lawsuit has been filed against Vicky and Cornell’s property at a district court in Florida, by band members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd.
The lawsuit states that the band members had an “oral agreement” with Cornell’s widow to perform for free at “I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell” concert in January 2019 and that the proceedings would go to The Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation.
The members claimed that while the show is believed to have raked in over a whopping million of dollars, “Vicky Cornell did not have the intention of using some or all of the revenue from the Cornell Concert for charitable purposes, but rather for personal purposes for herself and her family”.
They have also accused that Vicky knew her charitable “representation was false, or exhibited recklessness and negligence as to its truth or falsity, for the purpose and intent of inducing Soundgarden into agreeing to perform at the Cornell Concert without compensation”.
As a result, Soundgarden have reportedly suffered “damages” and “reputational harm” .
Also in the suit, the band members have replied to Vicky’s earlier lawsuit filed in 2019, where she claimed that Soundgarden have been refusing to give her the royalties from her over seven unreleased recordings her husband made before he passed away in 2017.
“The Complaint is an offensive recitation of false allegations and accusations. Soundgarden categorically denies every material contention lobbed by Vicky Cornell, who filed her Complaint – rashly and without good cause – with the true purpose of extorting Soundgarden into conceding rights to which she is not legally entitled, and of coercing Soundgarden to prematurely distribute Soundgarden funds to her,” read a statement by Soundgarden in the new papers.
“This legal action by Vicky Cornell is lamentable, preventable, and spurious.”
The band is asking for “compensatory and general damages in an amount to be proven at trial” in addition to “injunctions and declarations related to copyright and other ownership claims, punitive and exemplary damages”.
Vicky took to Twitter to give a reply to the latest action.
She wrote: “You were so wrong to think you’d silence me by lies, intimidation and fear. That you might break me because its a gutwrenching time. He is always with me and you can’t change the truth by lying and for what to stir up crazies and legitimise them while attacking CC’s legacy.”
–IANS
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