Chris Cornell’s widow Vicky is asking a federal judge to step in and decide the worth of the Soundgarden lead singer's interest in the band. Vicky, who serves as the personal representative of her late husband’s estate, says that the remaining members of the band -- Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Hunter Shepherd -- have severely undervalued her share, offering her “the villainously low figure of less than $300,000,” according to an 11-page complaint filed Tuesday (Feb. 16) in U.S. District Court Western District of Washington at Seattle.
Chris died on May 18, 2017 at the age of 52 while on tour with Soundgarden in Detroit, leaving his property – including his intellectual and personal property rights – to Vicky for the benefit of their two minor children.
Vicky said after she demanded the band buy out Chris’ interest in Soundgarden, they offered her $300,000 despite, she says, receiving a $16 million offer for their master recordings. In response, she said she counter-offered them $12 million for the band's collective interests, equaling $4 million per surviving band member, which they summarily denied in December. She said she later offered them $21 million for the band’s interests and that offer was also rejected. The four-member rock group never had a written partnership agreement, according to court papers.