Perry Farrell has filed an official response to the $10 million assault and battery lawsuit brought against him by Jane’s Addiction bandmate Dave Navarro. PEOPLE reported the filing.
The legal filing was submitted on September 8. It contains Farrell’s formal denial of all allegations made in Navarro’s complaint.
“[Farrell] denies each and every allegation in the complaint, and [further denies that Navarro has] has been damaged in any way or in any amount whatsoever,” the answer read. “[Navarro] fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against [him], [he has] unclean hands, and failed to exercise reasonable care and diligence to mitigate [the] alleged claims and damages.”
Dave Navarro’s legal team issued their own statement addressing the filing after Farrell’s response.
“The 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,” Christopher Frost, Navarro’s attorney, told PEOPLE. “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 [Avery], and Stephen [Perkins].”
The lawsuit stems from incidents that allegedly occurred during Jane’s Addiction’s recent reunion tour. Navarro is seeking $10 million in damages.
This legal battle comes amid what was supposed to be a triumphant return for one of alternative rock’s most influential bands. The dispute has cast a shadow over the reunion of a group that helped define the alternative music scene of the early 1990s.
Jane’s Addiction formed in Los Angeles in 1985 and became a seminal alternative rock band known for pioneering the early 1990s alternative movement, Wikipedia noted. The band’s classic lineup includes Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins, who had reunited recently for a tour after decades apart.
The current legal troubles trace back to a highly publicized incident that occurred during the band’s recent reunion tour. Perry Farrell faced a public onstage meltdown during a concert in Boston where he engaged in a physical altercation with Navarro mid-performance, Esquire detailed. This incident contributed to the band’s decision to cancel the remainder of their tour.
Farrell issued an apology to his bandmates, including Navarro, as well as to fans and family for his actions following the Boston incident. The apology appears to have done little to prevent the legal proceedings that followed.
The ongoing dispute represents a dramatic turn for a band that had successfully reunited after years of separation. Jane’s Addiction’s influence on alternative rock cannot be overstated, as they helped shape the genre’s identity during its formative years in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
