U.S. District Judge Michelle Peterson has ruled that Soundgarden is not withholding what Chris Cornell's widow Vicky Cornell said is “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in unpaid royalties, and that the band’s manager did not breach any perceived duties to look after Vicky's best interests.
According to Billboard, Peterson's ruling will be handed over to the case’s presiding judge Robert S. Lasnik for a final decision. The overarching lawsuit regarding Soundgarden allegedly "low-balling" Vicky on an offer to buy her out of the Soundgarden business is still ongoing.
Soundgarden has not commented on the ruling handed down by Peterson, but Vicky's attorney Marty Singer has.
“The magistrate’s recommendation was based solely on her subjective and un-adopted opinion that additional facts must be added to our client’s complaint, and we intend to amend our client’s complaint to include those facts,” said Singer.
“Most importantly, the magistrate’s recommendation has zero impact on the significant claims against Soundgarden and its band members, who have sought to trample on Chris Cornell’s rights by unlawfully asserting ownership over his vocal recordings and by depriving his wife and children of millions of dollars that the band members want to keep for themselves.”
It seems like the one thing Soundgarden and Vicky can agree on right now is that there will be more music from the band in the future.
