You know, regardless of the merits of the case (of which I think there are few to none), a chunk of the originally cited article screamed ‘cash-grab’ to me.
… a number of existing or defunct record companies that released or distributed the album in the last three decades.
Curiously, original Nirvana drummer Chad Channing is also named as a defendant who was part of the group at the time, even though he had been replaced by Grohl in 1990, before the album was recorded or the cover photography shot.
This is a shotgun lawsuit, throw it at anyone even remotely associated with the product, and see who if anyone settles. And I’ll join the chorus who feel that this is a late term effort to get $ or attention as a semi-literal man-baby (sorry, couldn’t resist). And anecdotally, yes, everyone I’m aware of who’s mentioned the case has seen it as naked (sorry, still couldn’t resist) cash grab.
@Saintly_Loser made a good point that (barring the remote possibility that there was no legal agreement to use his likeness which I find extremely unlikely) the persons most responsible for the harm he cites were his parents, not the band and/or record companies. Stepping away from the validity or nature of the claim though, this person seems deeply unhappy, possibly in large part because (as others have mentioned) this is something he has never let go of for his whole life. While I doubt he would have ever been fully anonymous, his periodic recreations and efforts to connect with the band for his own unrelated personal projects speaks of a profound inability to let go.
So while I don’t think he deserves the money, I do think he needs help. May he get it.