Soundgarden suit: Singer goes to court

Chris Cornell, former lead singer of the Seattle grunge band Soundgarden, is suing Susan Silver, his ex-wife and the band's manager, for more than $1 million, accusing her of mismanaging his finances, among other claims.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Cornell alleged that Silver "conspired with other Soundgarden representatives to divert monies owed to [Cornell] to other Soundgarden band members."

Cornell, now frontman for the band Audioslave, has moved to Los Angeles. Silver, who heads Atmosphere Artist Management, still lives in Seattle.

Silver could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Cornell's attorney, Paul Sorrell, said that Silver has "kept valuable business and personal effects that belong" to Cornell. "She has refused to deliver the items to him."

The items include two Grammy Awards, demo tapes, personal recordings, journals, music sheets and lyrics. According to the lawsuit, "many of the items relate to musical compositions that have never been released."

Cornell contends that Silver "failed to advise him on how to protect his ownership interest in copyright to musical compositions that he created prior to the marriage," Sorrell said.

The musician also asked the court to make a declaration that prohibits Silver from representing Soundgarden because of her conflict of interest.

Cornell and Silver were married for 12 years. The two divorced in 2002.

Formed in 1984 in Seattle, the four-member band Soundgarden broke up in 1997.

Judy Chia Hui Hsu: 206-464-3315 or jhsu@seattletimes.com