ABC/Randy HolmesVicky Cornell‘s lawyer, Marty Singer, has called Soundgarden‘s response to her lawsuit over a collection of unreleased audio recordings made prior to Chris Cornell‘s death a “blatant mischaracterization of events.”
“It is disappointing that Chris’ former band members have now sought to taint his legacy by making numerous false allegations, and that they continue to withhold substantial monies from his widow and minor children (despite using those same funds to pay for their own legal fees),” Singer says in a statement obtained by Rolling Stone.
“The issue in this case is not who wrote the songs but rather who owns the specific recordings made solely by Chris while he resided in Florida,” the statement continues.
Late last year, Vicky Cornell filed a lawsuit against surviving Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd, accusing them of using “strong-arm tactics” to obtain seven audio recordings that she claims were “solo authored” by her late husband. She also accused them of withholding royalties owed to her and Chris’ children.
Tuesday morning, news broke that Soundgarden had responded to the lawsuit, denying Vicky Cornell’s claims while maintaining they are the rightful owners of the recordings, which they claim were a result of writing and recording sessions dating back to 2015.
“We don’t have possession of our own creative work,” the band said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
In their response, the Soundgarden members also asked that the suit either be dismissed or moved to their home state of Washington, rather than remain in Florida, where Vicky Cornell originally filed it.
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
