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.”
Once the altercation happened, Navarro, who was still continuing to recover from the effects of long COVID-19, searched for a replacement guitarist to play in his stead and keep the tour going, but ultimately he, Perkins and Avery decided it would be best to cancel the run altogether.
“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.
In a statement obtained to ABC Audio, Jane’s attorney Christopher Frost says, “Persuaded by Perry Farrell to revive the legendary configuration of the band, 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,” Frost says. “But, as our lawsuit explains, 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.”
“Ultimately, with the attack on Dave Navarro seen around the world, Perry Farrell abruptly and unilaterally ended all the plans for a Jane’s Addiction revival,” the statement continues. “He also left his bandmates holding the bag for an unfulfilled tour and record deal, as our lawsuit explains in detail. 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.”
Meanwhile, lawyers for Farrell say, “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,” Farrell’s lawyers continue. “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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