SCOTT WEILAND Says 'Legal Suits' With STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Are 'Way Behind Us Now'

Ex-STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland says that his legal battle with his former bandmates over the rights to the group's name is "way behind" him now and insists that he "wish[es] them luck" in their future with their new frontman.

STP fired Weiland in February 2013, claiming that his own solo activities and erratic behavior were detrimental to the band. The group then teamed up with LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington, debuting the new lineup and a new song called "Out Of Time" in 2013 at a California radio festival.

STP said in a statement, "We want to move forward productively, and Scott's choices and actions have prevented us from doing that… 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."

The group sued Weiland, with the singer firing off a countersuit and claiming that they could not use the band name without his involvement. He also told AZCentral that his former bandmates were "selfish" and "disrespectful."

Asked by Ultimate Guitar in a new interview what his feelings are about Bennington replacing him in STP, Scott said: "Umm, I really don't think about it that much. It's, like, our legal suits we had going are way behind us now. They're doing what they're doing and I'm doing what I'm doing and I wish them luck."

In a recent interview with iChill.ca, Weiland said about STP's collaboration with Bennington: "They made an album and it sold 35,000 units. That's kind of unbelievable considering STP sold over 40 million and I'm sure Chester's band LINKIN PARK has sold pretty much the same amount. It didn't work, though. People weren't buying into it."

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS's "High Rise" EP — featuring Bennington on vocals — sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 24 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 8, 2013 via Play Pen/ADA.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' last studio album with Weiland on vocals, 2010's "Stone Temple Pilots", sold 62,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD marked the sixth top 10 for the band — its entire output of studio albums with Scott on vocals. Only its greatest hits package "Thank You" missed the top 10 (No. 26 in 2003).