Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesWe have a new turn in the ongoing legal battle between Soundgarden and the late Chris Cornell‘s widow, Vicky Cornell.
According to Billboard, U.S. District Judge Michelle Peterson of Washington state has recommended that two of the six claims that Vicky has made against the band be dismissed from the case.
Specifically, Peterson takes issue with the allegation that Soundgarden has purposefully withheld “hundreds of thousands of dollars” owed to Vicky and her two children, as well as the claim that the band’s business manager, Rit Venerus, had breached his fiduciary duty to Vicky.
As Billboard reports, Peterson found that there “wasn’t evidence” to support either of those claims. Vicky’s lawyer, Marty Singer, says that she plans to “vehemently object” the judge’s recommendation.
“The magistrate’s recommendation has zero impact on the significant claims against Soundgarden and its band members, who have sought to trample on Chris Cornell’s rights by unlawfully asserting ownership over his vocal recordings and by depriving his wife and children of millions of dollars that the band members want to keep for themselves,” Singer says.
Soundgarden declined Billboard‘s request for comment.
The claims stem from a lawsuit filed by Vicky in December of 2019 over a series of recordings made by Chris before his death in 2017. Both Vicky and Soundgarden have claimed rightful ownership of the recordings.
Vicky filed a separate lawsuit in February of this year over a buyout offer that Soundgarden allegedly made to her, which she described as “villainously low.”
By Josh Johnson
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