AceShowbiz - The legal dispute over the estate of the legendary punk band, the Ramones, has come to an end. Linda Cummings-Ramone, the widow of Johnny Ramone, has successfully purchased the share of the estate owned by Mickey Leigh, brother of Joey Ramone. This settlement concludes a lengthy legal battle that has spanned several years between the two heirs.

A court filing made public on Monday (February 2) by music manager Dave Frey, who previously served on the board of Ramones Productions Inc. (RPI), reveals that the dispute has been resolved. This is the first official confirmation of the settlement, which has been a topic of contention for quite some time.

According to the court documents, Frey's attorney stated, “Ms. Ramone now has total control over RPI. Mr. Mitchel Hyman, who was previously the other 50 percent owner of RPI, transferred his share to Ms. Ramone per a binding term sheet agreement of November 18, 2025. Ms. Ramone owns 100 percent of the shares of RPI and has free rein to fully control RPI.”

Both parties have refrained from making public comments following the announcement. As of now, no final settlement paperwork has been filed in the public records.

Both Joey Ramone (born Jeffrey Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (born John Cummings) passed away in the early 2000s. A 2005 shareholder agreement had established a 50-50 split of the Ramones' legacy between their respective families, which unfortunately led to ongoing disputes between Cummings-Ramone and Leigh.

The legal skirmish commenced in 2018 when Leigh sought arbitration, claiming that Cummings-Ramone was utilizing the band’s intellectual property on social media without consent. In turn, Cummings-Ramone accused Leigh of mismanaging the estate for personal gain. In 2019, an arbitrator mandated that both parties reconcile and mutually approve any business decisions.

In 2023, Cummings-Ramone initiated further legal action aimed at removing Frey, who had been appointed to the estate's board by Leigh. She claimed that Frey had breached the shareholder agreement by pursuing a Ramones biopic without her authorization and leaking confidential information to catalog fund Hipgnosis.

Ultimately, an arbitrator ruled in favor of Cummings-Ramone, removing Frey from the board and citing his “disruptive and negative conduct” regarding the biopic and other related ventures. The film project, which was set to feature Pete Davidson as Joey Ramone, is currently on hold.