Jane’s Addiction Legal Battle Escalates as Perry Farrell Files Lawsuit Saying He’s the Assault Victim
The singer says guitarist Dave Navarro and his other bandmates attacked him onstage after years of "bullying" him by playing their instruments too loudly.
The same day that members of Jane’s Addiction sued their frontman Perry Farrell for allegedly attacking guitarist Dave Navarro onstage last year, the singer hit back with his own lawsuit, claiming he was actually the victim in the viral scuffle after years of “bullying” by his bandmates.
The legal battle began the morning of Wednesday (July 16), when Farrell was sued for allegedly punching Navarro mid-set at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion in September. The guitarist, alongside Jane’s Addiction bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, claimed this assault cost them millions by forcing the cancellation of the rest of their reunion tour and derailing plans for a new album.
Farrell is now returning fire with his own lawsuit against Navarro, Perkins and Avery. In a complaint filed in Los Angeles court, Farrell says his bandmates actually assaulted him onstage in Boston after he complained about Navarro playing too loudly during the song “Ocean Size.”
“Farrell reacted by body-checking Navarro,” the complaint reads. “Farrell did not throw any punches, but simply wanted to alert Navarro that he had to stop playing so loud. The video evidence is clear that the first altercation onstage during the Boston show was hardly one-sided, and in fact, what followed was an inappropriate violent escalation by Navarro and Avery that was disproportionate to Farrell’s minor body check of Navarro.”
According to the Farrell lawsuit, Navarro “aggressively” put his arm into Farrell’s neck, followed by Avery putting Farrell in a headlock and “punching him repeatedly in the kidneys and stomach” while still onstage. The fight then continued backstage, where Farrell says Navarro “menacingly charged” at both him and his wife.
Farrell says that the alleged assault was the culmination of a “years-long bullying campaign” in which his bandmates have tried to “undermine” him onstage by playing so loudly that he can’t hear himself or sing in tune. This has forced Farrell to turn up his in-ear monitors to hear himself, the lawsuit says, causing him significant eardrum damage and advanced hearing loss.
According to the lawsuit, Farrell wanted to keep touring after this incident and fulfill the band’s contractual obligations. But he says Navarro, Perkins and Avery unliterally canceled the rest of the tour and made him the “scapegoat” by falsely blaming the decision on Farrell’s nonexistent “mental health difficulties.”
“Plaintiffs are informed, believe and on these bases allege that defendants made their false and defamatory statements regarding Perry Farrell’s mental health in 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,” the lawsuit says.
Farrell is suing his bandmates for assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract. He’s seeking unspecified monetary damages for the financial fallout from the tour’s cancellation, as well as for physical and emotional harm.
The singer’s attorney, Miles Cooley, said in a statement on Wednesday that the September incident was “devastating” for Farrell.
“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,” said Cooley. “He is actively exploring ways to address the situation and ensure accountability.”
Christopher Frost, an attorney representing Navarro, Perkins and Avery, called Farrell’s lawsuit “revisionist history” in a statement.
“If there is a question about what to believe, you can believe the video we’ve all watched,” said Frost. “You can believe Etty Farrell’s contemporaneous Instagram posts stating: ‘Perry was clearly the aggressor, I’m not arguing that point at all… [H]e has been struggling mentally for quite some time….’ You can believe Perry himself when he apologized to the band: ‘I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday’s show. Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior.'”
This story was updated on July 16 at 8:23 p.m. ET with a statement from Frost.
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