Joey Ramone’s brother submits fresh lawsuit against Johnny Ramone’s widow
The brother of the late Joey Ramone has submitted a lawsuit against the widow of Johnny Ramone amid a bitter feud over the legacy of the Ramones.
Since 2004 when Johnny Ramone passed away, the two have been embroiled in a fight over the rights of the Ramones. Now, Mickey Leigh, Joey’s brother, has escalated the war with Linda Cummings-Ramone, Johnny’s widow, by filing a legal document on August 23rd through a federal court in Manhattan.
Notably, Joey and Johnny weren’t related through blood and their surname wasn’t Ramone. However, in public, she goes by the name Linda Ramone, which is a move that Leigh criticised in the new legal filing, citing her “unrelenting quest” to be linked to the Ramones.
Furthermore, in the filing (obtained by Billboard), Cummings-Ramone is described as a former “groupie” who has an “insatiable personal desire to shine a spotlight on herself.”
Leigh’s legal representatives state: “Ms. Cummings-Ramone has made and continues to make blatant attempts to exploit and personally capitalize on and benefit from the name, goodwill and legacy of the Ramones — that is, to try to push the false narrative that she is the heiress to … the Ramones’ legacy.”
They continue: “She most certainly is not. She is nothing more than a blatant self-promoter and an infringer.”
Cummings-Ramone is yet to respond to the new lawsuit.
Previous lawsuit over Pete Davidson biopic
The pair are now the executives of Ramones Productions, which means they are in charge of the band’s legal dealings. However, over recent years, there have been several public disagreements, and at the start of 2024, Cummings-Ramone sued Leigh.
In January, she filed a lawsuit in a Manhattan court against the “unapproved and unauthorized” upcoming Joey Ramone biopic, which is set to be released by Netflix and star former Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson.
I Slept With Joey Ramone is based on the memoir written by his Leigh in 2009 and plans for the movie were first announced in 2021.
Linda Ramone’s lawyers stated in the filing: “Ms. Ramone objects to defendants’ attempt to create a Ramones film without her involvement — not to be obstinate, but rather based on defendants’ disregard for [Ramones] assets and their conduct and treatment of Ms. Ramone and her late husband.”
They continued: “To permit defendants alone to tell the authoritative story of the Ramones would be an injustice to the band and its legacy.”
In April, a countersuit was submitted by Leigh against Cummings-Ramone. The document argues Ramone’s widow previously gave her full permission and accused her of trying to defame Leigh’s character.
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