Members of Jane's Addiction have filed a lawsuit against lead singer Perry Farrell, seeking $10 million in damages after an onstage altercation in Boston last September. Guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins claim the incident derailed their reunion tour and delayed a new album.
Footage from the concert showed Farrell punching and shoving Navarro before being restrained by crew and escorted off stage. The lawsuit alleges that Farrell's attack was 'repeated and unprovoked' and continued backstage, where he struck Navarro again. The band members claim Navarro was still suffering from long Covid at the time.
The altercation led to the cancellation of the remaining 12 shows of the tour, which had been the first to feature Avery since 2010. The lawsuit also alleges that Farrell was often intoxicated during performances, with his behaviour worsening as the night progressed.
Hours after the band's lawsuit was filed, Farrell responded with his own 30-page legal complaint, accusing his bandmates of years of bullying and harassment. He claimed the onstage incident occurred because the band played too loudly, preventing him from hearing himself sing. Farrell also alleged that Navarro assaulted him and his wife backstage.
Farrell's complaint, filed alongside his wife Etty Lau Farrell, asserts that the band used him as a 'scapegoat' to cancel the tour and published defamatory statements about him. He had previously apologised for his actions, describing them as 'inexcusable behaviour'.
