Metal Anarchy

According to Rolling Stone, Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins have filed a lawsuit against singer Perry Farrell. This news comes after the band imploded following a 2024 incident in which Farrell attacked Navarro onstage in Boston, MA.

In the complaint, Farrell’s bandmates accused him of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract. They also claimed to have lost over $10 million due to cancelled shows, a scrapped album, etc.:

“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 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.”

The lawsuit also revealed that Navarro lost a $25,000 a month disability insurance policy related to long COVID:

“Navarro terminated his $25,000 per month in disability payments in order to return to work with the Band. 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 complaint went on to say that all decisions were supposed to be made democratically:

“The majority rules approach was for good reason. Perry had an egregious habit of overruling decisions of the Band, and selfishly making everything about himself and [his wife] Etty.”

It also referenced an issue that arose in Las Vegas when Farrell’s bandmates chose not to include footage Etty and other dancers in their show:

“With fans already streaming into the theater, Plaintiffs were in their dressing rooms trying to figure out how to go on with the show. 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.”

As noted in the suit, Farrell’s performances also started suffering due to his drinking:

“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.”

The powder keg ultimately exploded during the ill-fated Boston show:

“Perry’s repeated and unprovoked attack on Navarro was especially painful, because Perry knew that Navarro was still weak and suffering from the effects of long COVID-19.”

The assault also triggered painful memories related to the 1983 murder of Navarro’s mother. The suit continued:

“Nobody could calm Perry down backstage. 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.”

The altercation led Farrell’s bandmates to stop the band:

“Plaintiffs were rightfully afraid and uncomfortable to perform with him again. It was also abundantly clear that Perry was in no condition to continue the Tour on which he had struggled to perform.”

The band’s attorney Christopher Frost added:

“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.

[Farrell] abruptly and unilaterally ended all the plans for a Jane’s Addiction revival [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.”

The complaint also addressed the band’s scrapped album, which included “Imminent Redemption,” “True Love,” and eight instrumentals that were never finished. They had previously signed a deal with ADA to record at least 12 new songs. The suit continued:

“Plaintiffs and Defendant will potentially be on the hook personally for, e.g., repayment of the advance to ADA.”

The cancellation of the tour also cost each member a significant amount of money. The musicians, who were supposed to make $210,000 apiece for the North American tour, still have to pay $240,000 worth of unpaid commissions to their manager, business manager, and legal team.

The lawsuit also added:

“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. It would have also strengthened the Band’s relationship with Live Nation, which had previously discussed the prospect of subsequent tours.”