Earlier immediately, it was reported that guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins had sued their former Jane’s Addiction bandmate Perry Farrell for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional misery, negligence, breach of fiduciary obligation, and breach of contract. Their grievance facilities on the band’s ill-fated show in Boston that featured an onstage struggle between Navarro and Farrell and led to the group’s obvious dissolution.
Farrell has now responded by suing Navarro, Avery, and Perkins. He alleges assault and battery, intentional and negligent inflection of emotional misery, and breach of contract. Farrell filed his lawsuit immediately (July 16) in Los Angeles County Superior Court docket. His spouse, Etty Lau Farrell, and Jane’s Dependancy’s touring firm, Wilton’s Hilton Inc., are his co-plaintiffs.
Within the grievance, obtained by Pitchfork, Farrell and his legal professionals allege that Navarro, Avery, and Perkins engaged in “a years-long bullying marketing campaign towards Farrell involving harassing him onstage throughout performances, together with, amongst different techniques, attempting to undermine him by taking part in their devices at a excessive quantity in order that he couldn’t hear himself sing with out blasting his personal in-ear screens at an unsafe stage.”
Particularly, he claims that he “reached his breaking level” on Friday, September 13, 2024, the evening of the Boston present. “Farrell grew to become indignant that Navarro, taking part in at high quantity, was bullying him but once more and callously refused to decrease his quantity regardless of his repeated requests,” the grievance reads. “On account of Navarro’s loud taking part in, which was excruciating and harmful to Farrell, through the tune ‘Ocean Measurement,’ Farrell reacted by body-checking Navarro. Farrell didn’t throw any punches, however merely wished to alert Navarro that he needed to cease taking part in so loud.”
Farrell claims that his bodily motion led to “an inappropriate violent escalation by Navarro and Avery that was disproportionate to Farrell’s minor physique verify of Navarro,” and that Navarro additionally “menacingly charged at and aggressively assaulted each Farrell and his spouse Etty Lau backstage.”
Together with the allegations of assault and battery, Farrell claims that Navarro, Avery, and Perkins canceled the Jane’s Addiction reunion tour with out consulting him, leaving him “blindsided” by what he calls “ill-conceived selections totally missing in authorized authority.” He additionally says that he “was prepared, keen and capable of proceed the tour, if for no different cause than to keep away from disappointing the legions of devoted followers who had bought tickets to see the band on the tour’s remaining dates, and it was Defendants [Navarro, Avery, and Perkins] who elected to cancel the tour with out informing and/and even listening to from Perry Farrell.”
Perry and Etty Lau Farrell are in search of “normal damages for bodily harm because of assault and battery, extreme emotional misery and psychological struggling;” “medical and associated bills;” and extra.
In an announcement shared with Pitchfork, Perry Farrell’s attorneys, Bryan J. Freedman and Miles M. Cooley, stated that their consumer “is actively exploring methods to deal with the state of affairs and guarantee accountability.”
Pitchfork has reached out to Christopher Frost, an lawyer representing Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins of their lawsuit towards Perry Farrell, for remark.
