Jane’s Addiction members Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins have filed a lawsuit against frontman Perry Farrell in the aftermath of a September 2024 onstage scuffle between Navarro and Farrell that resulted in the cancellation of their reunion tour and the dissolution of the groundbreaking alt-rock act.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by Rolling Stone, accuses Farrell of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract. The suit also alleges that the group lost over $10 million as a result of the tour’s cancellation and cessation of all band activities, including plans for the first album by the classic lineup since 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual. They’re also asking Farrell to pay all of the group’s outstanding bills stemming from the tour’s cancellation.
“The Band can no longer function as a result of the Defendant’s conduct, including his sudden, violent outbursts and demonstrated inability to serve as the Band’s frontman and vocalist,” the 36-page complaint says. “The physical, emotional, and financial harms Defendant has wrought have deeply impacted the Plaintiffs, their families, and their loved ones, and it is time for Defendant to face the consequences of his actions and be held accountable.”
“This is yet another clear example of the group uniting to isolate and bully frontman Perry Farrell,” Farrell’s attorney, Miles Cooley, said in a statement following the lawsuit. “The timing of this baseless lawsuit is no coincidence — it was filed only after they caught wind of legal action coming from our side. 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.”
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The lawsuit pulls the curtain back on the inner workings of Jane’s Addiction and reveals that Navarro received $25,000 a month from a disability insurance policy after long Covid forced him off the road in 2022. In 2024, Navarro agreed to reunite with the group for a tour of Europe and North America.
“Navarro terminated his $25,000 per month in disability payments in order to return to work with the Band,” reads the complaint. “Had Navarro not terminated the disability payments, and given his condition, Navarro likely would have received the $25,000 payments for several years. For months, Navarro worked hard to prepare himself physically and mentally for touring, including by seeing doctors, nutritionists, and therapists.” (The suit also reveals he postponed his wedding in Scotland to accommodate the tour routing, costing him $50,000 in lost deposits to various vendors.)
One condition of the tour, according to the suit, is that the band would operate democratically. If there was ever a disagreement, a simple majority would decide on a course of action. “The majority rules approach was for good reason,” reads the complaint. “Perry had an egregious habit of overruling decisions of the Band, and selfishly making everything about himself and [his wife] Etty.”
Etty Lau Farrell has danced onstage at many Jane’s Addiction shows over the years, causing rancor within the band. The suit alleges that the Las Vegas launch of the 2024 reunion tour was nearly derailed when Farrell insisted they play a video onstage of his wife and other dancers performing in the desert. The others objected.
“With fans already streaming into the theater, Plaintiffs were in their dressing rooms trying to figure out how to go on with the show,” reads the suit. “Etty yelled at Plaintiffs that the Band was ‘not a democracy’ when it came to including dancers. Etty reiterated that Perry was going home, and the Tour was over. Fortunately the Band’s management and Live Nation representatives talked Perry into continuing with the Tour, and Perry returned shortly before showtime.”
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As the days ticked by, Farrell began performing erratically onstage, speaking incoherently into the mic between songs and struggling to sing in key. “Plaintiffs (and others in attendance) had observed during the Tour that Perry regularly appeared onstage in an advanced state of intoxication,” reads the complaint. “He would often drink wine onstage and slur his speech. Perry frequently went on long, rambling discursions between songs for no apparent purpose other than for his own amusement.The problems with Perry’s performance would often worsen as the night wore on and he became more intoxicated.”
Long-simmering tensions finally boiled over when the tour hit Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion on September 13, 2024. During a chaotic rendition of “Ocean Size,” Farrell shoved Navarro near the end of his guitar solo before Avery and crew members had to physically separate them. The band didn’t finish the concert, and audience-shot footage shot around the globe within minutes.
“Perry’s repeated and unprovoked attack on Navarro was especially painful,” reads the suit, “because Perry knew that Navarro was still weak and suffering from the effects of long COVID-19.” The suit also says the attack triggered painful memories of the night Navarro’s mother was murdered in 1983.
The scuffle allegedly continued backstage after the show. “Nobody could calm Perry down backstage,” the suit alleges. “When Navarro confronted Perry about his violent outburst, Perry threw another unexpected punch at him, striking him on the left side of the face. Navarro was hurt.”
According to the suit, Navarro felt he could no longer continue on with the band in the aftermath. Not wanting to see the tour cancelled, he attempted to find a replacement. But Avery and Perkins also decided they didn’t want to carry on. “Plaintiffs were rightfully afraid and uncomfortable to perform with him again,” reads the complaint. “It was also abundantly clear that Perry was in no condition to continue the Tour on which he had struggled to perform.”
“Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins had high hopes that they could capture the pure spirit of the band’s early days and build on it. Initially they did, in the studio and onstage. But … they did so with a fourth bandmate who was by turns unwilling or unable to perform to a reasonable standard and who repeatedly threatened to derail the tour,” Christopher Frost, the attorney representing the band, says in a statement to Rolling Stone.
Frost adds that Farrell “abruptly and unilaterally ended all the plans for a Jane’s Addiction revival” following the onstage scuffle and “left his bandmates holding the bag for an unfulfilled tour and record deal.” “Dave, Eric, and Stephen never wanted it to come to this. But they have been wronged, want the accurate story told, and they deserve a resolution.”
Prior to the tour, the group released the new singles “Imminent Redemption” and “True Love.” The suit reveals they also had eight instrumental tracks they planned on finishing once the tour wrapped. That’s now impossible even though they signed a deal that required them to deliver at least 12 songs to ADA, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. “Plaintiffs and Defendant will potentially be on the hook personally for, e.g., repayment of the advance to ADA,” read the suit.
The cancellation of the tour also cost the band considerable income. Each member of the band was supposed to make $210,000 for the North American tour, per the lawsuit. They also owe $240,000 in unpaid commissions to their manager, business manager, and legal team.
“A successful Tour would have served as a potent marketing vehicle for the new album the Band was working on for ADA, and would have increased the Band’s earnings from record sales due to increased interest,” reads the suit. “It would have also strengthened the Band’s relationship with Live Nation, which had previously discussed the prospect of subsequent tours.”
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The group has kept a low profile since the tour imploded, but Navarro recently told Guitar Player that the group was over. “[The onstage altercation] forever destroyed the band’s life,” he said. “And there’s no chance for the band to ever play together again.”
This article was updated on Wednesday, July 16 at 5 p.m. EST to include a statement from Farrell’s lawyer.
