Lawyer Claims Soundgarden Want to Defame Vicky Cornell, Provoke Online Stalkers With Band Social Media

Vicky Cornell and her attorney have responded to Soundgarden’s attempt to regain access to the band’s social media accounts, claiming that the band only want them to “maliciously defame” the widow, “provoke her online stalkers” — in which they specifically accuse drummer Matt Cameron of doing — and to harass her and her children.

Earlier this week, the surviving members of Soundgarden filed a claim in the state of Washington asking a judge to make Cornell provide them with the login information to their various social media accounts and band website, which they say she has locked them out of. They also state that the accounts are “in a state of neglect.”

A series of written statements were posted on Chris Cornell’s official Instagram page yesterday (April 1) regarding the matter. The first one was written by the late singer’s former manager Ron Laffitte.

During my six years working with Chris Cornell and Soundgarden, Chris and Vicky always controlled all of Soundgarden’s social media accounts, both directly and through their own personal social media representative. At no time were any other members of Soundgarden involved, and this was true both before and after Chris died. Because of this, Soundgarden’s attempt to seek an injunction in connection with the social media accounts is surprising to say the least.

The following was provided by Cornell’s lawyer, Marty Singer, who’s been representing her throughout the entire lawsuit between the widow and Soundgarden since it began in 2019.

Ms. Cornell’s forthcoming motion will expose the truth about the Soundgarden’s supposed social media accounts. Ms. Cornell created the social media accounts; grew the accounts by allowing them to trade on Chris’ then-existing, popular accounts; devoted her personal time and money in growing these accounts as Soundgarden displayed absolutely no interest in social media (unless it was to promote their solo projects). Ms. Cornell has overseen these accounts for close to a decade. The fact that Soundgarden is unaware of the user-names and passwords for their alleged “own” accounts confirms their utter lack of involvement in creating, growing and maintaining their alleged accounts.

 

Soundgarden solely wants the social media accounts in order to maliciously defame Ms. Cornell, provoke her online stalkers (as Matt Cameron has done continuously) and to instigate third-parties to harass Ms. Cornell and her minor children.

 

Moreover, while they now claim a sense of urgency, Soundgarden’s claim are a stale repacking of the claims that they filed in the Florida court in May of 2020.

Cornell also posted a few slides on her own personal Instagram page the same day. One was a photo of her husband singing, with the phrases “no one sings like you anymore” and “that’s why they want your vocals” written as hashtags. The next one was also a written statement.

Sadly the other three Soundgarden members now object to a celebration of Chris’ voice even as they take legal action to demand the use of his vocals.

 

In their latest attacks they claim to be against the “no one sings like you anymore” hashtag — even though that was taken from Chris’ lyrics from “Black Hole Sun” that was created and used by fans all over the world as a mark of respect and in tribute to him since the day after he died.

 

My children and I are so grateful to the fans for the love and respect you have all shown to him and thereby us since that tragic night.

The vocals Cornell is referring to are the recordings that were found on his laptop after he died. When she first sued Soundgarden over royalties back in 2019, the band noted that she was trying to gain full ownership over the recordings, which were meant for Soundgarden’s seventh studio album — that they announced in the fall of 2016, months before the singer died.

See all of the screenshots below.