According to The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the mother of late ALICE IN CHAINS vocalist Layne Staley has filed a lawsuit against the surviving members of the band, asking for a court order to establish her right to 16 percent of the group’s revenue. Nancy McCallum makes further claims that that the group have withheld royalties owed to her.
An attorney for ALICE IN CHAINS members Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney told Nancy McCallum in September 2012 that the revenue-sharing agreement that had seen her paid in the decade after the singer’s death would be terminated. Band attorney Peter Paterno also alleged in 2012 that McCallum has tried to trademark the ALICE IN CHAINS name, which he labelled as “disturbing”. Staley’s former bandmates say the singer’s heirs will be able to collect royalties on songs he wrote or co-wrote and also contended that McCallum no longer has a role in the band’s business decisions.
Staley died on April 5, 2002 as a result of a longtime heroin addiction, ultimately sidelining his career and his band after a multitude of successful releases. The 34-year-old vocalist’s body was not found in his Seattle home until April 20, 2002, a little over two weeks after the date on which it was determined that he passed away.