Relatives of punk legends the Ramones are dueling in lawsuits — in a long-simmering feud that threatens to derail a planned Netflix movie starring Pete Davidson as the band’s iconic lead singer.
Guitarist Johnny Ramone’s widow, Linda Cummings-Ramone, sparked the latest round of a bitter feud in January when she sued singer Joey Ramone’s brother Mitchell Hyman and his manager David Frey for trying to oust her from the band’s film and merchandising deals .
But Hyman — who filed a countersuit last month — told The Post that the film is not a band biopic.
“It’s not a book about the Ramones,” Hyman told The Post of his 2009 memoir, “I Slept with Joey Ramone,” on which the film will be based.
“It’s not a Ramones story,” he said of the book, which charts growing up with the singer, who battled debilitating OCD before his death in 2000. “It’s a story about growing up with a man … who beat the odds and became an inspiration for millions. That’s what it’s all about.”
Hyman and Cummings-Ramone have been locked in a legal battle for years over the Ramones and their legacy, which began in Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974.
Then singer Joey (real name: Jeffrey Hyman) and Johnny (real name: John Cummings) started the band with bassist Dee Dee (Douglas Colvin) and drummer Tommy (Thomas Erdely).
The group became one of the most influential groups in rock history, but only Joey and Johnny remained through various line-up changes until the group finally disbanded in 1996. All four founding members have passed away.
Despite their huge following and near-mythical status, the Ramones never achieved commercial success.
It took 38 years for the band’s April 1976 debut to sell 500,000 copies and go gold — and in October 2022, Joey Ramone’s estate sold a share of his music publishing rights for $10 million.
Currently, Hyman and Cummings-Ramone have split control of Ramones Production, Inc., the company that handles the band’s work.
Hyman inherited 50% of her mother when she died in 2007, and Cummings-Ramone inherited her half when Johnny died in 2004.
In a phone interview Sunday, Cummings-Ramone told The Post she was just trying to protect the band’s legacy.
“It’s a very sad situation for Ramones fans and widows in rock and roll — it’s very sad what happens to widows when someone wants what you have,” she said.
“That’s what I’m trying to do: protect the legacy of the Ramones,” she continued. “That’s it. And it was left to me by Johnny Ramone, on his deathbed. Because legacy was the most important thing to him and the most important thing to me.
But in their counterclaim, Hyman — a musician himself who goes by the name Mickey Lee — and Frey claim that Cummings-Ramone is trying to take over RPI and “establish herself as the queen of the Ramones.”
“Indeed, Ms. Cummings-Ramone’s primary goal is to embarrass, bully and destroy Mr. Hyman’s integrity, create a completely false narrative about him, rewrite her role in Ramones history, and win a popularity contest in which, in her mind, she takes on RPI and the legacy of a group she was never a member of and had nothing to do with the creation of,” the scathing indictment reads.
“She is driven by an alternative agenda, including her own fame and vanity, as well as a selfish desire to obstruct projects and control RPI for reasons that conflict with her fiduciary duties and cause her to avoid any cooperation with Mr. Hyman,” it continued.
And the Netflix film — announced in April 2021 — appears to be caught in the crossfire.
In her January lawsuit, Cummings-Ramone alleges that Hyman and Frey “repeatedly failed to disclose or seek approval from fellow RPI shareholder and director Ms. Ramone … for the lucrative film deal that the defendants entered into unilaterally, instead take advantage of this significant corporate opportunity for their own exclusive benefit.
“Allowing the defendants to tell the Ramones’ authoritative story alone would be unfair to the band and its legacy,” Cummings-Ramone said in the papers, adding that it would “significantly and irreparably harm RPI and Ms. Ramone “.
She also claims Hyman threatened to leak “compromising private footage” his brother had of her. Joey Ramone was said to have dated Cummings-Ramone before she married Johnny Ramone, causing tension within the group in their later years.
Hyman and Frey have denied all allegations.
“There was never a threat of any of this, ever,” Frey told The Post. “This is a blatant lie. And compromising footage? It’s a matter of opinion.”
Meanwhile, Hyman took offense to the idea that they were making a movie behind Cummings-Ramon’s back.
“On what basis is this statement based?” he asked. “What gives her the authority or inclination to even say that? I couldn’t tell you because I have no idea.”
Frey reiterated this, saying the book and planned film are family memoirs, not accounts of the group.
“It was never, ever pitched to anybody as a Ramones biopic,” Frey said, but added that Cummings-Ramone granted the movie rights years ago anyway.
“This is something she signed in 2006,” Frey said. “Whether she remembers signing it or not, or what the circumstances were around her signing it, she signed it. Therefore, it granted all these rights.’
There is some question as to whether the legal battle will shock Netflix and run away. But Hyman said he hasn’t heard anything definitive.
“It’s worrying — I guess that’s a safe word for me,” he told The Post. “I can’t speak for Netflix. I have a feeling they are not happy about it. But they didn’t call and say, “We don’t like this, we’re done.”
A Netflix spokesperson declined to comment Sunday.
Representatives for Pete Davidson, who is also listed as a writer and executive producer on the project, did not respond to requests for comment.
The Post also contacted Cummings-Ramone’s attorney.
Despite years of infighting, Hyman said he doesn’t think it will hurt The Ramones’ leather-clad legacy.
“The Beatles are no less popular for all the things we’ve heard about them,” Hyman said. “People will still love the songs. I don’t see the legacy being damaged by all of these things.
“But you know, it depends on the person,” he continued.
“Some people don’t read these things or don’t care. And some people are gossips who thrive on that sort of thing.”
