According to Seattlepi.com, the mother of deceased ALICE IN CHAINS lead singer Layne Staley has sued her son’s former bandmates, claiming they cut her out of royalties owed on the band’s hits.

Staley’s mother Nancy McCallum contends the surviving members of Alice in Chains owe her half of the money due Staley – about 16 percent of the hard rock band’s income. According to the lawsuit, the band has attempted to cut her out of any further payments.

Attorneys for the band contend McCallum illegally attempted to trademark the Alice in Chains name and that she has already been paid far more than she is due. Staley’s ex-bandmates also say Staley’s heirs will be able to collect royalties on songs he wrote or co-wrote, while arguing McCallum no longer has a role in the band’s business decisions.

Staley was the best known member of Alice in Chains during the band's 1990s heyday, which saw the release string of hit albums including the quadruple platinum Dirt.

Staley appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in Feburary 1996, shortly before he left Alice in Chains. A Kirkland native, Staley was found dead on April 19, 2002, inside a University District condo; he died at age 34 from complications related to his cocaine and heroin use.

Since Staley’s death, Jerry Cantrell and other members of the band have continued tour at Alice in Chains. In the lawsuit, McCallum’s attorney contends she has been defending her son’s legacy for the past decade.

“Ms. McCallum held a yearly Layne Staley tribute, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for drug and alcohol treatment,” attorney Yale Lewis Jr. told the court. “She was in constant contact with Alice in Chains fans, keeping the name and legacy in the public eye.”