In a new twist, Perry Farrell has filed own suit against his former bandmates in Jane’s Addiction. Earlier today, July 16th, it was revealed his bandmates Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins had taken legal action against Farrell, pinning much of the blame of the violent dissolution of their reunion run last September on Farrell‘s behavior and actions. That tour featured a reunion of the classic era of the band and came to an end after a violent onstage altercation between Farrell and Navarro in Boston, MA, in which Farrell was seen to have thrown a fist at Navarro.
In their suit, the above-mentioned trio accused Farrell of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract. They also alleged that Farrell‘s actions caused the band losses of over $10 million. Now, Variety report that Farrell has launched his own suit, which is not being treated as a countersuit, against Navarro, Avery and Perkins.
In it, he claims that the trio had engaged in a years-long campaign of bullying against him, and the band breaking up was not his choice. He further went on to blame the onstage blowout in Boston as being caused by his aforementioned bandmates “playing their instruments at a high volume so that he could not hear himself sing without blasting his own in-ear monitors at an unsafe level.”
Farrell‘s camp told Variety in a statement:
“As a founding member and creative force behind Jane’s Addiction, Perry Farrell has always prioritized the band’s legacy and its supporters, which is why the events of September 13th, 2024 in Boston and the resulting fallout was so devastating. Without warning or consultation and using Perry as a scapegoat, Dave Navarro and the other band members took it upon themselves to abruptly cancel the remaining tour dates—violating contracts and disregarding all professional obligations.
Perry was blindsided by not being allowed to vote and be heard, leaving him unable to plead his case to continue the tour for their fans. If that was not harmful enough, Dave Navarro then intentionally and publicly blamed Perry for the canceled tour dates effectively destroying Perry’s reputation and causing him irreparable harm. Despite this continued bullying perpetuated by Navarro, Perry’s dedication to Jane’s Addiction and the preservation of its positive impact on the music industry remains unshaken. He is actively exploring ways to address the situation and ensure accountability.”
Farrell‘s complaint went on to state:
“That Jane’s Addiction’s bandmates have sometimes been antagonistic towards each other has been well-documented. But Navarro, Avery and Perkins apparently decided that Jane’s Addiction’s decades of success should be jettisoned in pursuit of a years-long bullying campaign against Farrell involving harassing him onstage during performances, including, among other tactics, trying to undermine him by playing their instruments at a high volume so that he could not hear himself sing without blasting his own in-ear monitors at an unsafe level.
This harassment escalated on September 13, 2024 to physical violence by Navarro and Avery against Farrell onstage during the Boston show and the assault of both Perry and Etty Lau Farrell backstage by Navarro. These altercations precipitated the decision by Navarro, Avery and Perkins to both call off the rest of the band’s North American tour.
Without warning or consultation and using Perry Farrell, as a scapegoat, Navarro and the other band members took it upon themselves to abruptly cancel the remaining tour dates — violating contracts and disregarding all professional obligations — and apparently break up the band for good.”
Allegations of erratic behavior being conducted by Farrell ahead of the Boston, MA show were recalled by one of the band’s guitar techs last September after the fateful onstage incident. It was also then alleged that another physical altercation between Farrell and Navarro took place backstage after the ill-fated Boston, MA show. Farrell‘s complaint addressed that as such:
“Navarro now falsely claims Farrell hit Navarro with a ‘sucker punch. What actually happened was that it was Navarro who menacingly charged at and aggressively assaulted both Farrell and his wife Etty Lau backstage, shouting, ‘What the fuck was that, you motherfucker?!’ Farrell took a defensive stance and shouted, ‘Get the fuck out of here!’ to which Navarro replied, ‘I am never working with you again!’”
Farrell, who apologized to his bandmates in the wake of the original blowout, went on to claim that his now former bandmates had published “malicious” and “defamatory public statements” regarding him after the onstage meltdown. Farrell‘s suit claims that the trio did so as part of a, “spurious effort both to change the narrative about the events of the band’s last show, but also as a part of a disingenuous effort to secure insurance coverage for their own irresponsible cancellation of the tour.”
In their suit filed against Farrell earlier today, the band alleged that Farrell had been taking to the stage in various states of intoxication during the tour, stating:
“Plaintiffs (and others in attendance) had observed during the Tour that Perry regularly appeared onstage in an advanced state of intoxication. 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.”
A September 2024 show in NYC days ahead of the Boston, MA date saw Farrell deliver a much criticized live performance.
