NEED TO KNOW
Dave Navarro filed a civil complaint against Perry Farrell on Wednesday, July 16, accusing the musician of ‘assault’ and ‘battery’
The Jane’s Addiction guitarist filed a $10 million lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court
The allegations stem from an alleged “brutal and unprovoked” attack during a mid-show incident in September 2024
Dave Navarro is accusing longtime Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell of assaulting him both onstage and backstage during the band’s recent reunion tour — a shocking incident Navarro says ultimately brought the entire tour to a halt.
In newly filed court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Navarro — alongside fellow bandmates Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins — claim Farrell launched what they describe as a “brutal and unprovoked” attack during a mid-show incident in Boston in September 2024.
“Plaintiffs Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins were forced to bring this action after Defendant Peretz Bernstein p/k/a Perry Farrell ruthlessly assaulted Navarro onstage, mid-show, during the Jane’s Addiction 33-date North American reunion tour,” the complaint, filed on Wednesday, July 16, in the Los Angeles Superior Court, states.
Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction perform at Trinity College Park on June 28, 2024 in Dublin, Ireland.
Kieran Frost/Redferns/Getty
“As if the pain and humiliation of the onstage attack were not enough, Farrell continued his unhinged barrage of punches backstage (collectively, the ‘Attack’),” the filing continues. “The Attack, which was virally viewed by millions of people worldwide, was brutal and unprovoked. It quickly forced the termination of the show and eventually the entire Tour.”
According to the complaint, the alleged altercation marked a turning point in the band’s long-awaited reunion, which had brought all four original members back together for the first time since 2010. The group had sold over 100,000 tickets for the multi-city run, which was ultimately canceled in the wake of the incident.
According to the filing, Farrell addressed the incident publicly in a since-deleted Instagram post. The docs state: “Initially on his own Instagram page, Perry admitted he had exhibited ‘inexcusable behavior’ and he ‘apologize[d] to [his] bandmates, especially Dave Navarro … for [his] actions during Friday’s [Boston] show,’” the lawsuit notes.
“Perry vowed that he was ‘tak[ing] full accountability for how [he] chose to handle the situation,’” the filing adds.
Navarro’s attorney, Christopher Frost, said in a statement to PEOPLE, “In 2024 the four ‘original’ members of Jane’s Addiction came together, against all odds, with a new tour and new music. Persuaded by Perry Farrell to revive the legendary configuration of the band, 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,” the statement continues. “But, as our lawsuit explains, 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.
“Ultimately, with the attack on Dave Navarro seen around the world, Perry Farrell abruptly and unilaterally ended all the plans for a Jane’s Addiction revival. He also left his bandmates holding the bag for an unfulfilled tour and record deal, as our lawsuit explains in detail. 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.”
A representative for Farrell said in a statement to PEOPLE, “This is yet another clear example of the group uniting to isolate and bully frontman Perry Farrell. 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.”
As the case moves forward, the allegations threaten to overshadow what was meant to be a major milestone for the pioneering alternative rock group — and one of the most highly anticipated tours of their career.