Soundgarden, singer’s widow settle court fight over unreleased recordings

By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) – Grunge music pioneers Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, the widow of lead singer Chris Cornell, have settled a legal dispute over the late singer’s unreleased recordings, according to a joint post from their Instagram accounts on Monday.

They said the “amicable” settlement marked a new partnership between Soundgarden and Cornell’s estate that will allow fans to “hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on.”

An attorney for Cornell confirmed the settlement but declined to offer details. A representative for Soundgarden declined to comment. Soundgarden’s label, Universal Music Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vicky Cornell, who administers her late husband’s estate, first sued Soundgarden in 2019 in Miami federal court before the case was later moved to the band’s home state of Washington. She claimed the band members withheld the estate’s share of royalties to “strong arm” her into giving them unreleased recordings Chris Cornell made before his death in 2017.

Her lawsuit argued that Cornell recorded the songs separately from the band and that he was their sole owner. The band countersued her for refusing to turn over the recordings, which it said were meant for a Soundgarden album for UMG.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)