The late Joey Jordison, former drummer and founding member of Slipknot, is still a legacy in the metal community. After his abrupt removal from the band in 2013 and death in 2021, Jordison’s estate is suing Slipknot, alleging that the group is profiting off of his death.

According to TMZ, the lawsuit, filed in June by Steamroller, LLC, claims that Slipknot did not return 22 of Jordison’s personal items, despite promises. Additionally, the suit alleges Slipknot used Jordison’s items as a part of the traveling Slipknot museum Knotfest, and “line[d] their pockets with profit off of Jordison’s devoted fanbase.”

Slipknot members Corey Taylor and Michael Shawn “Clown” Crahan were named in the suit. Jordison formed Slipknot in 1995 alongside Crahan and Paul Gray before entering a partnership with the pair and Taylor in 1999. While the band did not offer a reasoning for his dismissal, Jordison said that he did not quit the group.

The suit said Taylor and Crahan had promised to return all of Jordison’s items in a written agreement in exchange for Jordison’s promise not to release certain claims about them. However, the agreement did not go as planned, with the suit noting Taylor and Crahan “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.”

In the complaint, his estate said Jordison’s belongings are a part of Knotfest, and over the course of several years, fans have paid admission fees to view his belongings in-person, allowing the group to “profit off Jordison’s death and his grieving fanbase to this day.”

Slipknot’s firing of Jordison was described in the suit as “callous” amid his ongoing medical issues, and his estate alleges after his death, neither Taylor nor Crahan expressed condolences to Jordison’s family. The suit claimed Crahan and Taylor publicly lied to fans that they checked on Jordison’s family in the wake of his passing, noting this is a “blatant lie” and the pair “did not actually care about Jordison or his family.”

Additionally, the suit said the band is still using Jordison’s legacy to their advantage today — even helping promote their new album.

“Taylor and Crahan callously used Jordison’s death as marketing for their new album,” the suit said. “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 that they ‘were hoping to mend fences with him, and it’s one of those things that tells you: whatever you need to do, do it now, because you never know when you’re gonna lose somebody.'”

Following the complaint, Slipknot’s legal team responded in court documents, asking the lawsuit to be dismissed. According to court documents, the “defendants generally deny each and every allegation and purported claim set forth in Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint and further deny that Plaintiff is entitled to any relief whatsoever.”

This wouldn’t be the first time — and likely not the last — that Slipknot removed a member of its band with such a large fan following. Jay Weinberg, who filled-in for Jordison, was a member of the band for nearly the past decade. Then, in November, the group suddenly parted ways with Weinberg, citing a “creative decision.” Weinberg responded to the removal, writing that he was “blindsided” by the decision.

Slipknot is known for undergoing major lineup changes; the group parted ways with Craig Jones early last year and Chris Fehn left the band after over 20 years back in 2019. No replacement has been announced for Weinberg at this time.

The band is slated to headline a few festivals next year, including Welcome to Rockville and Sick New World. They also announced they’ll be hitting the road to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut self-titled record with a trek across Europe and the U.K. in December. During the tour, Crahan confirmed they’ll play their debut album in-full.

Find tickets to see Slipknot on tour via the band’s official site or on StubHub.