23 February 2021
Newsdesk
Rockers Soundgarden are pushing back against Chris Cornell's widow over her attempt to secure a buyout offer from the remaining bandmembers.
Vicky Cornell, who serves as her husband's estate representative, filed suit against Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd last week, asking a Washington judge to order a formal valuation of the band partnership to determine how much Chris' share is worth.
She claimed they offered her just $300,000 (£216,000) to buy out her stake in the brand, but she believes they've severely undervalued her share with the "lowball" figure.
However, according to Billboard, the surviving Soundgarden stars have insisted Vicky hasn't detailed the full story, issuing a statement which read: "(The) buyout offer that was demanded by the estate has been grossly mischaracterized and we are confident that clarity will come out in court."
They also addressed her claims of the band members receiving lucrative offers from outside investors, who are keen to obtain the rights to the group's master recordings, insisting: "All offers to buy out our interests have been unsolicited and rejected outright."
The rockers previously made it clear their stance isn't about money, and they have since hinted at plans to return to the studio to complete the project they had been working on before Cornell committed suicide in 2017.
"Being a band from Washington State since 1984, we are proud of Soundgarden's musical legacy, work and career," they concluded, adding: "we look forward to completing the final Soundgarden album."
Vicky's attorney, Marty Singer, has fired back at the trio, declaring: "The band's contention that this dispute is somehow not about the money for them is absurd and hypocritical."
