Chris Cornell’s Widow Sues Soundgarden, Claims Band Has Withheld 'Thousands' in Royalties
Vicky Cornell, the wife of late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, is taking legal action against the band.
Vicky is alleging that the group and their business manager have “conspired to wrongfully withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars” in royalties from her and their two children, according to a filed complaint obtained by PEOPLE. She also claims that the group have attempted to “strong-arm” his estate into turning over seven recordings, which were made before Cornell’s death in 2017.
Vicky claims in the complaint that the seven tracks solely feature Chris’ voice and were written by him alone, and that they are the rightful property of both her and their children.
In the complaint, Vicky claimed that she had offered to share the recordings with the band “provided that they were released in a way that would respect her late husband’s legacy,” but the band refused, claiming that the songs belonged to them. She has also alleged that the members of the group have “menaced” their family “with false media statements.”
However, the band has rejected these claims according to TMZ, which first reported the news.
The group alleges that Cornell “had been working on the files in a collaborative effort with the other members of Soundgarden,” and has claimed that five of the songs in question were co-written with other members of the band.
Soundgarden did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
RELATED: Chris Cornell’s Daughter Toni Releases Song Produced and Recorded by Her Dad Before He Died
On Monday, Vicky addressed the lawsuit in a lengthy Instagram post.
“I have been taking time these past few weeks to be grateful for all the good people around me and for those who have lifted me up at the very worst times in my life. The silver lining, during the storm, is finding and appreciating the subtle glow of those who sincerely support you in your life unconditionally,” she wrote alongside a photo of Cornell and their children. “However, sometimes while you grieve the one you physically lost, you realize that you must now grieve the loss of some of those you considered friends and family as well.”
“I am shocked at how often this occurs. It’s not just me, or the rock-star widow, or the political widow; it is the case for the vast majority of women after their partners have passed,” she continued. “I will not be bullied or shamed into silence. I will not accept something so wrong, so lacking in compassion or decency, even with the clear but unspoken threat of social rejection hanging over me.”
Continuing, Vicki wrote that while “this was not the way I would have chosen to move forward,” she refuses to “be pushed aside for someone else’s convenience or gain.”
“I will not sacrifice our children’s futures for someone else’s greed. And I will not let someone else make me feel shame because the man I loved was taken from all of us too soon,” she wrote. “I will do justice by my husband’s work and memory; for our children and for everything we stood for. I want to thank everyone who has stood by Chris and has supported us through this devastating time. Your love and your kindness will never be forgotten.”
Cornell, best known as the lead vocalist for Soundgarden and Audioslave, died by suicide in May 2017. He was 52.
RELATED: Chris Cornell’s Widow Implores Congress to Act on Opioid Crisis: His ‘Death Was Not Inevitable’
Earlier this year, Cornell’s children Toni and Christopher accepted their father’s posthumous Grammy.
“We miss him so much and we saw him work on this so hard — he was always working on his music [because] it was his passion,” Toni told reporters backstage. “It was really sad in a way to feel like he couldn’t be there himself to accept it for something that he was so proud of and worked so hard on.”
