Perry Farrell Responds to Jane’s Addiction Bandmates With Lawsuit of His Own

Earlier today, 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 distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract. Their complaint centers on the band’s ill-fated show in Boston that featured an onstage fight between Navarro and Farrell and led to the group’s apparent dissolution.

Farrell has now responded by suing Navarro, Avery, and Perkins. He alleges assault and battery, intentional and negligent inflection of emotional distress, and breach of contract. Farrell filed his lawsuit today (July 16) in Los Angeles County Superior Court. His wife, Etty Lau Farrell, and Jane’s Addiction’s touring company, Wilton’s Hilton Inc., are his co-plaintiffs.

In the complaint, obtained by Pitchfork, Farrell and his lawyers allege that Navarro, Avery, and Perkins engaged in “a years-long bullying campaign against Farrell involving harassing him onstage during performances, including, among other tactics, trying to undermine him by playing their instruments at a high volume so that he could not hear himself sing without blasting his own in-ear monitors at an unsafe level.”

Specifically, he claims that he “reached his breaking point” on Friday, September 13, 2024, the night of the Boston show. “Farrell became angry that Navarro, playing at top volume, was bullying him yet again and callously refused to lower his volume despite his repeated requests,” the complaint reads. “As a result of Navarro’s loud playing, which was excruciating and dangerous to Farrell, during the song ‘Ocean Size,’ Farrell reacted by body-checking Navarro. Farrell did not throw any punches, but simply wanted to alert Navarro that he had to stop playing so loud.”

Farrell claims that his physical action led to “an inappropriate violent escalation by Navarro and Avery that was disproportionate to Farrell’s minor body check of Navarro,” and that Navarro also “menacingly charged at and aggressively assaulted both Farrell and his wife Etty Lau backstage.”

Along with the allegations of assault and battery, Farrell claims that Navarro, Avery, and Perkins canceled the Jane’s Addiction reunion tour without consulting him, leaving him “blindsided” by what he calls “ill-conceived decisions utterly lacking in legal authority.” He also says that he “was ready, willing and able to continue the tour, if for no other reason than to avoid disappointing the legions of devoted fans who had purchased 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 without informing and/or even hearing from Perry Farrell.”

Perry and Etty Lau Farrell are seeking “general damages for physical injury due to assault and battery, severe emotional distress and mental suffering;” “medical and related expenses;” and more.

In a statement shared with Pitchfork, Perry Farrell’s attorneys, Bryan J. Freedman and Miles M. Cooley, said that their client “is actively exploring ways to address the situation and ensure accountability.”

Christopher Frost, an attorney representing Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins in their lawsuit against Perry Farrell, also shared a statement about the Farrells’ lawsuit. “If there is a question about what to believe, you can believe the video we’ve all watched,” he said. “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.’ Today’s complaint from Perry, including his account of events backstage after the September 13 show, is revisionist history. It won’t stand.”