Three members of Jane's Addiction are suing lead singer Perry Farrell for $10m (£8m) over an onstage altercation that derailed their reunion tour and delayed a new album. Guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins filed the lawsuit, with Navarro also pursuing a separate claim for assault and battery.
The incident took place at a concert in Boston on 13 September 2024, when footage showed Farrell punching and shoving Navarro before being restrained by crew members. In their legal filing, the band members allege the attack was "repeated and unprovoked" and that Farrell was aware Navarro was still weak from long Covid. They say Farrell threw another punch backstage, striking Navarro on the left side of the face.
The altercation led to the cancellation of the remaining 12 shows on the tour, which was the first to feature Avery since 2010 and marked Navarro's return after illness. At the time, Navarro issued a statement on behalf of the three musicians citing a "continuing pattern of behaviour and the mental health difficulties" of Farrell. The lawsuit also claims Farrell was often intoxicated during performances.
Hours after the band filed their claim, Farrell responded with a 30-page legal complaint accusing his bandmates of bullying and harassment spanning years. He alleged they deliberately played at high volume, forcing him to use unsafe in-ear monitor levels, and denied having any say in the tour's cancellation or the band's break-up. He further accused Navarro of assaulting him and his wife backstage.
Farrell's counter-suit, filed with his wife Etty Lau Farrell and company Wilton Hilton Inc, claims he was made a "scapegoat" and that Navarro and Avery were the original aggressors. It alleges physical violence onstage and an assault on both Farrell and his wife backstage, and accuses the bandmates of publishing "malicious, defamatory" statements. Farrell later apologised, describing his behaviour as "inexcusable" and saying he took "full accountability".
