Slipknot Sued by Joey Jordison Estate for Allegedly Profiting from His Death

Corey Taylor and Shawn "Clown" Crahan are named for allegedly not fulfilling a "written agreement" to return Jordison's belongings

Photo: Paul Harries

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Jan 2, 2024

The estate of the late founding Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison has sued the band for allegedly "profiting from his death," BLABBERMOUTH reports.

Jordison died in 2021. In 2016, he had revealed his transverse myelitis diagnosis, which he had been experiencing worsening symptoms since 2010 — which the complaint infers was the reason why the drummer was "abruptly" kicked out of the group by email in 2013.

The lawsuit filed in June by Steamroller, LLC, claims that Slipknot used Jordison's name and personal belongings ("musical instruments, gear and wardrobe," as per the filing) for a travelling museum as part of Knotfest — their touring festival — and "lined their pockets with profit off of Jordison's devoted fanbase."

Frontperson Corey Taylor and percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan are specifically named, accused of not fulfilling a "written agreement" to return "at least 22" of the late musician's belongings to his estate. "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," the suit reads.

It also went on to argue that Taylor and Crahan had "callously used Jordison's death as marketing for their new album," 2022's The End, So Far. Taylor had allegedly publicly dedicated the record to his former bandmate, saying that Jordison's memory had "crept in" while putting together the album.

"Taylor even acknowledged that he and Crahan had mistreated Jordison in an interview, telling fans that they 'were hoping to mend fences with him,'" the lawsuit alleges. "Perhaps worst of all, Crahan and Taylor publicly lied to fans that they had contacted Jordison's family to check on them and express their condolences and love for Jordison in the wake of his passing. This was utterly false, and deeply upsetting for Jordison's family to read such a blatant lie on the internet. It is clear that Taylor and Crahan did not actually care about Jordison or his family; they cared only about drumming up publicity and sales of the new album."

Taylor and Crahan have since responded with their own legal documents asking for the complaint to be dismissed and denying the allegations, as per Consequence.

Slipknot have been going through some further turmoil as of late, with drummer Jay Weinberg alleging he was "heartbroken and blindsided" when the band announced his departure back in November — just months after keyboard player and samplist Craig Jones left the outfit.

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