“Plaintiff is cautioned that failure to timely file a Second Amended Complaint shall result in this action being dismissed without prejudice for failure to prosecute and/or failure to comply with a court order,” the ruling stated. 13, the defendants’ lawyers will have a further two weeks to file a reply to the new suit. the suit will be dismissed “without prejudice,” and the matter will be considered closed. However, Judge Olguin’s dismissal was made “with leave to amend.” Therefore, although the lawsuit has been dismissed, Elden has been given a second chance to refile a new complaint – one which makes good the “defects” alleged in the defendants’ motion to dismiss, such as the allegation that the suit is time-barred. District Court in Central California, dismissed the case after Elden missed his deadline to file an opposition to the defendants’ motion to dismiss. Olguin, who was presiding over the case at the U.S. “Nevermind,” which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary last year, was released in 1991. Two weeks ago, the’ attorneys for Grohl, Novoselic, Weddle, Love, Cobain, Nirvana, L.L.C., MCA Records, UMG Recordings, Inc., Universal Music Group, Inc., The David Geffen Company and Geffen Records jointly sought a dismissal of Elden’s lawsuit, stating Elden had “spent three decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed ‘Nirvana Baby’” and the suit was time-barred. Elden’s lawsuit claimed the image on the cover was taken and used without his consent and the nudity amounts to an image of child abuse.Īs well as Grohl, Novoselic and Love, defendants to Elden’s lawsuit include Cobain, who died in 1994 music managers Guy Oseary and Heather Parry, who manage Cobain’s estate photographer Kirk Weddle art director Robert Fisher Nirvana’s original drummer Chad Channing (who was replaced by Grohl long before “Nevermind” was conceived of and released) and a variety of record companies (including some that are now defunct) that handled the album in some capacity since its release in 1991. Last year, Spencer Elden - the baby pictured naked on the front of the album - sued a number of individuals and companies associated with the record including Nirvana band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic as well as Kurt Cobain’s widow Courtney Love, who is the executor of Cobain’s estate. Nirvana and Kurt Cobain’s estate have yet to comment on the lawsuit.A judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed against the surviving members of Nirvana over the cover image of their iconic album “ Nevermind.” Nevermind was Nirvana’s second studio album, and features the legendary grunge songs Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Come as You Are and Lithium.Ĭonsidered responsible for bringing grunge into the mainstream, Nevermind reached number one in the US and has sold 30 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. He claimed that he had reached out to Nirvana to be part of his art show, but was referred to their managers and lawyers, and said: ‘Why am I still on their cover if I’m not that big of a deal?’ But recently I’ve been thinking, “What if I wasn’t OK with my freaking penis being shown to everybody?” I didn’t really have a choice.’ Weddle was a friend of Elden’s father Rick, who previously told NPR in 2008 that the photographer offered him $200 (£145) to ‘throw your kid in the drink’.īlake Lively shares pregnancy pics to encourage paparazzi to ‘leave her alone’Įlden told GQ Australia: ‘I’ve been going through it my whole life. The lawsuit also named the labels behind the album, DGC Records, Warner Records, MCA Records, and Universal Music Group, and photographer Kirk Weddle.
NIRVANA NEVERMIND COVER BABY TRIAL
The lawsuit reads: ‘The permanent harm he has proximately suffered includes but is not limited to extreme and permanent emotional distress with physical manifestations, interference with his normal development and educational progress, lifelong loss of income earning capacity, loss of past and future wages, past and future expenses for medical and psychological treatment, loss of enjoyment of life, and other losses to be described and proven at trial of this matter.’Įlden is seeking damages, attorney fees, a trial by jury, and an injunction to prohibit all parties ‘from continuing to engage in the unlawful acts and practices described herein’. Nirvana are being sued (Picture: Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage)