Last week, Stone Temple Pilots sued Scott Weiland, saying that the oft-misbehaving frontman is no longer part of the band and thus has no right to the band’s name. Now, the “hurt” Weiland is suing the band right back to the tune of at least $7 million in perceived damages.
Weiland’s countersuit alleges that he started and named STP, as well as served as the face of the group for 20 years—all of which seems pretty accurate. Weiland is also arguing that the remaining members of STP are now trying “to grab the name and goodwill” for themselves, derisively referring to them as puny “instrumentalists.” For that insubordination, he's seeking $5 million in compensatory damanges, plus $2 million for each “willful use” of the STP name “per mark, per type of goods or services sold, offered for sale or distributed.” This would mean that, every time STP plays a show or releases a new single (with or without new singer Chester Bennington), they would owe Weiland a cool $2 million. That’s probably a stretch, but it’s certainly a daunting figure.
Apparently there already exists a contract spelling out the band's business arrangements agreed to by its band’s members, Weiland included, and both groups are now citing that document as justification for their respective lawsuit. The remaining members say Weiland violated band policy and was thus justly ousted from the group. Weiland, on the other hand, says there’s a clause in the contract that establishes that, by kicking him out, the group is thereby required to perform under a different name.