Jane's Addiction's concert brawl turns into a legal fight: Reports
The lawsuits surround an onstage fight between guitarist Peter Navarro and frontman Perry Farrell at a 2024 concert in Boston, which resulted in the cancellation of both remaining tour dates and an upcoming album, The New York Times and Associated Press report.
USA TODAY has reached out to lawyers for both sides of the dispute for comment.
Navarro, along with drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery, filed a suit against Farrell in Los Angeles Superior Court this week, alleging the lead singer had behaved erratically throughout the tour, in a troubling pattern that culminated in the 2024 assault, according to the outlets. The complaint, filed July 16, alleged Farrell punched Navarro both on and off stage and seeks $10 million in damages.
Jane's Addiction concert ends after Perry Farrell punches guitarist Dave Navarro
In response, Farrell, along with his wife Etty Lau Farrell, filed a dueling lawsuit, accusing the remaining members of the band of a campaign of bullying that included playing their instruments too loud on stage, making it hard to hear himself sing, the outlets report.
Farrell and his wife also contend that it was Navarro who initiated the assault, according to the outlets, mirroring his bandmates' claims of emotional distress and breach of contract, but reversing the blame.
"This is yet another clear example of the group uniting to isolate and bully frontman Perry Farrell," Farrell's legal tream wrote in a statement to USA TODAY July 18. "The timing of this baseless lawsuit is no coincidence — it was filed only after they caught wind of legal action coming from our side. 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," the statement continued.
At the time of the original assault, the Los Angeles-based rock group, which formed in 1985 and became an essential part of the local alt-rock scene, was on a reunion tour.
Dave Navarro on reuniting with Jane's Addiction after Perry Farrell fight: 'No chance'
In an interview with the magazine Guitar Player in May, Navarro blamed the altercation for the forever breakup of the band.
"There was an altercation onstage, and all the hard work and dedication and writing and hours in the studio and picking up and leaving home and crisscrossing the country and Europe and trying to overcome my illness — it all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band's life," he told the outlet. "And there's no chance for the band to ever play together again."
Shortly after the assault, Navarro, Perkins and Avery issued a joint statement, cancelling remaining shows and citing "concern for his (Farrell's) personal health and safety as well as our own."
"We hope that he will find the help he needs," they wrote. "We can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment onstage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis."
At the time, Farrell offered an apology to Navarro and his bandmates in a statement shared with USA TODAY, writing in September: "Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."
Contributing: Jay Stahl and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
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