PERRY FARRELL Responds To The $10 Million Lawsuit Against Him By JANE’s ADDICTION

The unfortunate implosion of Jane’s Addiction has taken another dramatic turn, with Perry Farrell formally responding to the lawsuit filed by his bandmates Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins over the group’s chaotic 2024 reunion tour collapse.

The trio filed suit back in July, accusing Farrell of intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract. Navarro added allegations of assault and battery over the September 13, 2024 incident in Boston, when Farrell appeared to shoulder-bump and then take a swing at him mid-show, forcing the tour’s abrupt cancelation. The group claimed they lost over $10 million and said Farrell‘s “violent outbursts” and alleged drunkenness onstage made it impossible for the band to continue.

According to a report by People, Farrell has now hit back with 35 affirmative defenses, filed September 8 in Los Angeles, arguing he acted in “good faith and without malice” and suggesting Navarro has “unclean hands.” He is also seeking attorney fees and legal costs.

In his own lawsuit filed hours after the trio’s in July, Farrell accused his bandmates of waging a “years-long bullying campaign” against him, including deliberately drowning out his vocals onstage and harassing him backstage. He alleges it was Navarro and Avery who acted violently in Boston, claiming Navarro charged at both him and his wife Etty Lau Farrell. “Navarro now falsely claims Farrell hit Navarro with a sucker punch,” his complaint states. “What actually happened was Navarro menacingly charged at and aggressively assaulted both Farrell and his wife backstage.”

Navarro’s attorney Christopher Frost dismissed Farrell‘s defense this week, telling People: “Our lawsuit speaks for itself. So does the video. By responding in this way, Mr. Farrell is not taking any formal legal step to stop the litigation. This is consistent with the fact that they have taken no affirmative steps to advance their claims, whether serving discovery or otherwise, and it is consistent with the strength of the claims by Dave, Eric, and Stephen.”

The acrimony has left Jane’s Addiction in tatters just a year after their high-profile reunion was supposed to reestablish the band as festival headliners. “The band can no longer function as a result of the Defendant’s conduct,” Navarro, Avery and Perkins argued in their complaint, citing not just the Boston fight but Farrell‘s alleged drunken, rambling onstage behavior.

French, Perkins and Avery publicly said they hoped Farrell would get “the help he needs.” Farrell initially apologized on Instagram after the incident, calling his behavior “inexcusable.” But his subsequent legal filings show no signs of reconciliation.

What once promised to be a grand return for Jane’s Addiction has devolved into lawsuits, accusations of bullying and broken trust — a devastating end for one of alt-rock’s most volatile and influential bands.