STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bassist Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo, and drummer and Eric Kretz have issued the following statement via their official website:

"You may have read we recently filed suit against our former singer, SCOTT WEILAND. We wanted to clarify a few things:

Our purpose in taking this action is not to hurt Scott. We want to move forward productively, and Scott’s choices and actions have prevented us from doing that. We were in the process of putting our 20th anniversary tour together to celebrate the release of our first album, Core. The plan was for a big tour where we’d perform the album in its entirety, along with some other favorite STP songs. So, you might imagine our shock and disappointment when, without any notice, we learned that Scott had seized this tour for himself as his solo tour, and decided to do exactly what we as a group had planned. We found out about it the same way you did - we saw an ad for it.

Without getting into legal details, the band has a binding agreement that clearly states what each of us can and cannot do outside of STP. Unfortunately many of the decisions Scott made violate this agreement, have been harmful to the band, and prevented us from moving forward. When our requests to Scott and his representatives that they abide by the agreement were ignored, we finally had enough. So now, we’ve made our choice. It was beyond time we made some new music, which was impossible in the dysfunctional environment we were in. We’ve lived in it long enough and have decided to move forward with STP. We wish Scott well. We’re really excited about the new music we’ve been making with Chester, including the song we just released, 'Out of Time'.

We love this band and respect everything it means to you. We want to always give you our best and the choice we made is completely in that spirit."

Fans attending KROQ’s annual Weenie Roast recently, got a real surprise when STP took the stage unannounced, for a blistering set with Chester Bennington of LINKIN PARK as lead vocalist. The crowd went wild as the band performed STP classics like ‘Sex Type Thing’ and ‘Vasoline’ and also debuted a brand new song, 'Out of Time' - the recording of which KROQ premiered immediately following the band’s explosive 40 minute set.

Weiland took to his official Facebook page and posted the following statement on the situation:

"A letter to my fans,

Like everybody else out there, I read about my band, Stone Temple Pilots, and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt.

But the band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that.

First of all they don't have the legal right to call themselves STP because I'm still a member of the band. And more importantly, they don't have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it's misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.

When I tour on my own, it's never as Stone Temple Pilots. It's as Scott Weiland. The fans deserve to know what they're getting.

Like any band that's stood the test of time and made music for more than two decades, STP had a special alchemy - the four of us together were greater than any one of us apart. So if my former bandmates want to tour with a new singer, that's their prerogative.

I don't give a fuck what they call themselves, but it's not Stone Temple Pilots.

And so I say to you, our fans, I'll see you out there on the road this summer where I'm touring as 'Scott Weiland' with my band THE WILDABOUTS. But don't give up on STP. I know I haven't."

Adding insult to injury, the Associated Press is reporting that Weiland's (former) bandmates Dean Deleo, Eric Kretz and Robert Deleo filed a lawsuit against him on May 24th, accusing Weiland of misusing the band's name to further his solo career. They want a judge to strip Weiland of his ability to use the group's name or songs.

The lawsuit sheds light on the band's breakup, accusing Weiland of interacting with bandmates only through lawyers or managers and showing up late to the group's 2012 shows. It cites Weiland's addiction struggles and poor performances as detriments to the band's earning potential.

"The band endured much strife and lost significant opportunities because of Weiland," the suit states.

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