Photo Credit: Marc Millman

Soundgarden have announced that their extensive legal battle with their late bandmate Chris Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell, has finally come to a close. In a post issued via the band’s social media, Soundgarden explained that they have reached an amicable, out-of-court resolution with Chris Cornell’s estate. This new partnership will allow the band to release their final recordings with late artist; an issue that has remained a central point of tension between the two parties for years. 

In 2019, Vicky Cornell sued Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Hunter Ben Shepherd for falsely claiming ownership over seven unreleased songs and withholding royalties from her. In 2020, Soundgarden filed a countersuit regarding ownership over the unreleased recordings as well as the band’s social media accounts. In addition, the band claimed that Vicky Cornell had been misusing proceeds from the band’s charity concerts. In 2021, Vicky Cornell shot back with a second lawsuit against the band, disputing the buyout price that they had offered her for Chris Cornell’s share.

Now, it seems all of that back-in-forth is in the past. In the Instagram post addressing the situation, Soundgarden wrote, “The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on. The two parties are united and coming together to propel, honor and build upon Soundgarden’s incredible legacy as well as Chris’s indelible mark on music history — as one of the greatest songwriters and vocalists of all time.”

Scroll to view Soundgarden’s full statement below.