Joey Ramone’s brother sues Johnny Ramone’s widow for “exploiting” Ramones’ legacy
Joey Ramone’s brother Mitchel Hyman is suing Johnny Ramone’s widow Linda Cummings-Ramone for allegedly “exploiting” the Ramones‘ legacy.
The New York punk band’s intellectual property is owned in equal parts by two heirs – Hyman (better known as Mickey Leigh) and Cummings-Ramone – following the deaths of its four members.
The pair famously don’t get along with each other, and in a new lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court last Friday (August 23), Leigh’s lawyers accuse Cummings-Ramone of violating federal trademark law by pursuing an “unrelenting quest” to associate herself with the Ramones.
In the suit, Cummings-Ramone is described as a former “groupie” who has an “insatiable personal desire to shine a spotlight on herself”.
It reads: “Ms. Cummings-Ramone has made and continues to make blatant attempts to exploit and personally capitalise 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.
“She most certainly is not. She is nothing more than a blatant self-promoter and an infringer.”
The case takes issue with Cummings-Ramone’s use of the name ‘Linda Ramone’ – despite ‘Ramone’ not having been the legal surname of her late husband, nor any other member of the Ramones.
Joey Ramone (real name Jeffrey Ross Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (John William Cummings) were not actually brothers. Since the two died in 2001 and 2004, respectively, Leigh and Cummings-Ramone have been embroiled in an ongoing feud.
In the new lawsuit, Leigh’s lawyers say: “Ramones are unique in many ways. One of which is that they are the only band of stature where all the members were not related but used the same last name as if they were.
“That made it easy for [the] defendant to insert herself into the Ramones legacy as part of the family, the public spokesperson, and to associate her personal brand with Ramones, by using the name ‘Linda Ramone’.”
They continue: “Indeed, ‘Linda Ramone’ never existed while her husband, John Cummings was alive. Defendant increasingly adopted the name ‘Linda Ramone’ after Mr. Cummings died.”
The lawsuit claims that previous legal proceedings and agreements had restricted how Cummings-Ramone is allowed to use the name ‘Linda Ramone’, but that she’d repeatedly exceeded those limitations because she is “unabashedly obsessed with portraying herself as the widow of Johnny Ramone” and as an “integral member” of the group.
It adds: “Ms. Cummings-Ramone presents herself to the world as ‘Linda Ramone’ and unilaterally adopts the mantle of designated Ramones spokesperson and ‘keeper of the legacy’.
“She intentionally gives the false impression that she is empowered to take the lead on, or unilaterally pursue, Ramones business.”
Leigh and Cummings-Ramone are the executors of Joey’s and Johnny’s respective estates, and each own half of Ramones Productions – the company that controls the iconic band’s music as well as other assets.
Back in January, Cummings-Ramone sued Leigh over an upcoming Netflix biopic about Joey Ramone called I Slept With Joey Ramone, starring Pete Davidson.
In the suit, Cummings-Ramone claimed that any “authoritative story of the Ramones” would require her permission. She said Leigh had “overtly developed an unapproved and unauthorised Ramones-based biopic” based on his “one-sided recitation of the history of the Ramones”.
Joey Ramone’s brother later counter-sued Johnny’s widow, calling her attempts to shut down the film “baseless and flimsy”.
Earlier this month, NYC Ferry announced Ramones-themed commutes to mark the 50th anniversary of the band’s first-ever show. It is unclear as to whether the latest lawsuit is connected to this.
Cummings-Ramone has not yet responded to the new case against her.
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Tom Skinner
NME
