The surviving members of Soundgarden have regained control of the band’s social media accounts after reaching a temporary agreement with the widow of late frontman Chris Cornell.
In March, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd filed legal papers in Washington state, claiming Vicky Cornell had locked them out of the group’s online profiles, in addition to the Soundgarden official website.
The trio asked a judge to order Vicky, who represents her late husband’s estate, to hand over the passwords or include a final posting stating: “Soundgarden has temporarily suspended its official social media accounts due to pending litigation.”
Vicky’s attorney hit back at the allegations, claiming the rockers were trying to “maliciously defame” her and “provoke her online stalkers”, but on Wednesday, the two warring parties announced a temporary deal had been reached.
The agreement transfers control of Soundgarden’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, along with access to their website, to Cornell’s bandmates and their representatives at Red Light Management.
A statement issued by Vicky to Billboard.com reads: “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.”
Further details about the temporary deal have not been released, but it’s just one of the legal battles between the two parties – Vicky has also accused Thayil, Cameron, and Shepherd of owing Cornell’s estate hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties and the rights to seven unreleased recordings made before the singer’s death in 2017.
She then filed a separate lawsuit against the musicians in February, over what she felt was an unfair buy-out offer for her stake in the band.
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