The widow and daughter of deceased grunge icon Kurt Cobain have accelerated their efforts to block the release of photos depicting Cobain’s 1994 suicide, contending that their release would be “highly offensive” and would cause “substantial irreparable harm” to Love and Frances Bean.
In court papers obtained by TheWrap, Cobain and Frances Bean also contend that the release of the photos to conspiracy theorist Richard Lee, who asserts that Cobain did not commit suicide, is “not of legitimate concern to the public.”
“There is no genuine issue of material fact that releasing the ‘death-scene’ photographs of Kurt Cobain would sustainably and irreparably damage any person, in particular Courtney Love Cobain and Frances Bean Cobain,” the court papers contend.
The filing is part of a long battle to prevent the release of the death-scene photos. Lee initially sued the city of Seattle and the Seattle Police department after they refused to produce “death scene” photos of Cobain’s suicide. His suit was dismissed, and Love and Frances Bean obtained an order permanently enjoining the release of the photos. Lee subsequently appealed the decision in 2015, leading to a new round of filings.
“Most people who have to endure such a personal tragedy are allowed to do so in private but not Courtney Love Cobain or Frances Bean Cobain, due to … ‘the viral nature of the internet,’” the filing reads.
Frances Bean Cobain was not yet two years old when her father died, and Love was 25.
In a previous filing, Love stated that Lee had “stalked and harassed me, my family for man, many years,” in one instance filming himself chasing a limo that he thought she was traveling in.
“Mr. Lee’s actions make me fear for my safety,” Love said in a declaration.
The filing also states that Lee was arrested in January 2005 on two felony counts of stalking Love.