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Courtney Love Files Cease and Desist Against Theaters Showing Kurt Cobain Doc, ‘Soaked In Bleach’

Last month, we got the first full trailer for Soaked In Bleach, the second Kurt Cobain documentary (complete with dramatic reenactments, natch) in as many months, this one focused on the theory that the late Nirvana frontman was murdered. Now Courtney Love’s just filed a “cease and desist” against any theater that might’ve considered screening Soaked In Bleach on claims that the project:

presents a widely and repeatedly debunked conspiracy theory that accuses Ms. Cobain of orchestrating the death of her husband Kurt Cobain. A false accusation of criminal behavior is defamatory per se under California Civil Code Section 45a, which entitles Ms. Cobain to both actual and presumed damages…Any accusation that our client was responsible in any way for Mr. Cobain’s death thus cannot have any credibility. Any alleged factual representation to the contrary would be knowingly false, and hence intentionally and maliciously defamatory.

As Stereogum points out, the Soaked In Bleach producers have already responded to Deadline:

We were disturbed to learn that Courtney Love’s lawyers sent threatening letters to movie theaters all over the country. Most arrived before Soaked In Bleach was released last week, presumably before she or her lawyers ever saw it. She obviously hoped to scare theater owners into dropping the film. Thankfully, very few were intimidated. Most saw the letter for what it is – a cowardly attack on the rights of free speech, free expression and free choice.

Courtney Love’s uninformed accusations and efforts to discredit the film are totally off base. The film examines the well documented facts surrounding the death of Kurt Cobain and it questions much of what the public has been told about those events. Most of the opinions and theories presented in the film come directly from facts gathered by Tom Grant, the private investigator Courtney Love hired the week before Kurt’s body was discovered. Tom quickly became suspicious and tape recorded all his conversations with Courtney and others in the days leading up to and after Kurt’s death. The film uses those recordings to reenact Tom’s encounters with Courtney Love and others in Kurt’s inner circle. It also presents the views of Norm Stamper, Seattle’s Police Chief at the time, and Dr. Cyril Wecht, a leading forensic pathologist, who both question whether Kurt could have committed suicide.

Courtney Love and her lawyers clearly don’t like that the film presents a compelling case for re-opening the investigation into Kurt’s death. They should respect the First Amendment and let people decide for themselves.

Knowing Love, there’s sure to be a response in the near future.