LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – According to numerous sources, a lawsuit has been filed by the estate of former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison – claiming the band used his death for their profit and to promote their latest studio LP, 2022’s The End, So Far.
The company that handles Jordison’s estate, Steamroller LLC, also sues the band for using the late drummer’s belongings in their traveling Knotfest museum.
Court papers obtained by Page Six (published on December 30) name Slipknot member Corey Taylor and drummer/percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan, in particular for using Jordison’s death to boost sales of their 2022 album.
The lawsuit reads:
While family, friends and fans mourned the loss of the legendary drummer, neither bandmate expressed condolences to Jordison’s family after his passing. Instead, Taylor and Crahan heartlessly sought to profit off of Jordison’s death.
Taylor publicly dedicated The End, So Far to Jordison, claiming that the realization of Jordison’s passing ‘crept in’ while making the album. Taylor even acknowledged that he and Crahan had mistreated Jordison in an interview, telling fans they “were hoping to mend fences with him, and it’s one of those things that tell you: whatever you need to do, do it now because you never now when you’re gonna lose somebody.
Steamroller LLC also claims that the band did not return the drummer’s equipment and has used some items in the Knotfest museum.
The lawsuit continues via Blabbermouth:
After abruptly kicking Jordison out of Slipknot in 2013, Taylor and Crahan expressly promised in a written agreement to return all of Jordison’s belongings in exchange for Jordison’s promise to release certain claims against them.
Unbeknownst to Jordison, they had executed the agreement with no intention of performing their obligations thereunder and knowingly concealed from Jordison that they possessed numerous other items belonging to Jordison that they never returned to him.
According to Consequence, the lawsuit was filed in June 2023 but was only recently acquired by news outlets. It argues that Taylor and Crahan neglected to return “musical instruments, gear, and wardrobe” that belonged to Jordison. However, those items are in a Slipknot museum called Knotfest and “line[d] their pockets with a profit off of Jordison’s devoted fanbase.”
Slipknot’s legal team filed a response with the court and asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed, saying: “Defendants generally deny every allegation and purported claim outlined in Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint and further deny that Plaintiff is entitled to any relief whatsoever.”
Jordison died in his sleep at the age of 46. His career with Slipknot included playing on the band’s infamous demo CD and unofficial debut album, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. in 1996, and on four studio albums: 1999’s Slipknot, classic Iowa (2001), Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) in 2004 and All Hope Is Gone four years later.
As of publication, CelebrityAccess has reached out to Slipknot, Taylor and Crahan but has not received a response.
