The Stone Temple Pilots unceremoniously fired lead singer Scott Weiland last February and over the weekend, the feud between the two parties became a legal battle. The group is going to sue Weiland for causing trouble during their 20th anniversary tour and for misusing the group’s name. For Weiland’s part, he’s told fans that there is no ‘Stone Temple Pilots’ without him.
Weiland was shown the door back in February when the group released a one-sentence statement that read, “Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland.” No further details were released and Weiland claimed that he only heard about his termination in the press.
On Friday, three months later, The Associated Press reported that STP is now suing Weiland for trying to use the band’s name to further his own career. They want a judge to force him to stop using the STP name and the names of the songs they made together. According to Rolling Stone, they cited a 2010 agreement between members that once you leave, you can no longer use the STP name.
The group detailed the events that lead up to the split, including him showing up late to their shows on the 2012 tour. They also claim that Weiland was struggling with drug abuse and performed poorly when he did show. “The band endured much strife and lost significant opportunities because of Weiland,” the lawsuit reads.
Another claim made in the suit is that Weiland had his attorney call the Los Angeles station KROQ to stop them from playing STP’s new single, “Out of Time.”
STP has since continued on with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. This news lead to Weiland writing a lengthy note to his fans on his website. “Like everybody else out there, I read about my band, Stone Temple Pilots, and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt,” Weiland wrote. “But the band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that.”
He also criticized the band for the lawsuit, claiming that he is still a member.
“First of all they don't have the legal right to call themselves STP because I'm still a member of the band. And more importantly, they don't have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it's misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years,” he continued.
Weiland’s message concluded with, “I don't give a f**k what they call themselves, but it's not Stone Temple Pilots. And so I say to you, our fans, I'll see you out there on the road this summer where I'm touring as ‘Scott Weiland’ with my band The Wildabouts. But don't give up on STP. I know I haven't.”
image: Wikimedia Commons/C Maranon
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