After his onstage altercation with Dave Navarro during what turned out to be Jane’s Addiction‘s final concert, Perry Farrell now faces a lawsuit from his former bandmates.
Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery have filed a complaint alleging that Farrell committed assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract with his actions on Jane’s Addiction’s 2024 tour, which ended abruptly when Farrell threw a punch at Navarro during a Sept. 13 show in Boston. The band alleges that, even before the Boston incident, Farrell “had an egregious habit of overruling decisions” during the tour, despite a majority-rules policy implemented ahead of time. They also claim that Farrell “regularly appeared onstage in an advanced state of intoxication.”
“Plaintiffs were rightfully afraid and uncomfortable to perform with him again,” the suit says. “It was also abundantly clear that Perry was in no condition to continue the Tour on which he had struggled to perform.”The band alleges that Farrell’s actions lost them money, and may leave them financially responsible for an advance given to them to record a new album, which they can no longer deliver.
The suit seeks at least $10 million in damages to be proven at trial.
Meanwhile, Perry Farrell is now also suing his ex-Jane’s Addiction bandmates.
In his own complaint, Farrell alleges that he was the one who was assaulted by Navarro in the Boston incident, and that Navarro, Avery and Perkins have committed intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract/bylaws.
Farrell alleges that, during the tour, his bandmates “engaged in a campaign of harassment and bullying of Farrell to try to undermine him during his onstage performances” that included “starting songs when Farrell was not ready” and playing their instruments “at such a loud level that Farrell could not hear himself or sing in tune.”The suit also alleges that Navarro, Avery and Perkins canceled the Jane’s tour without consulting Farrell, and that their social media statements regarding Farrell after the Sept. 13 incident were “libelous.” In a statement regarding the Jane’s lawsuit Wednesday, lawyers for Farrell told ABC Audio, “This is yet another clear example of the group uniting to isolate and bully frontman Perry Farrell.”
“The timing of this baseless lawsuit is no coincidence—it was filed only after they caught wind of legal action coming from our side,” the statement continued. “It’s a transparent attempt to control the narrative and present themselves as the so-called ‘good guys’—a move that’s both typical and predictable. Just like when they released a defamatory and entirely unfounded statement about Perry’s mental health and unilaterally canceled the remaining tour dates without his input, they’re once again scrambling to get ahead of the truth in a desperate effort to save face.”