Pras Michél is taking Lauryn Hill to court over offenses related to The Fugees canceled tour.
Michél will face off with Hill in federal court for fraud and breach of contract, among other claims, over The Fugees' shortened 2023 tour and canceled tour a year later.
According to Variety, the lawsuit was filed on October 1 in the Southern District of New York. In it, Michél claims that Hill mismanaged the setup, marketing and budgeting of their 2023 tour. He claims that the tour was "actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself."
The lawsuit claims that Hill siphoned off money from the tour guarantees. Additionally, it says that the tour should have been a "huge commercial success, since most of shows for the entire arena size tour were sold out in advance." However, Michél alleges that he didn't receive anything due to Hill controlling the budget of the tour. He claims that the budget was "so bloated with unnecessary and, most likely fictitious, expenses, that it seemed designed to lose money."
Hill would go on to cancel the back half of the tour in 2023 when she would cite "serious vocal strain" as the reason behind it.
The lawsuit brought forth by Michél additionally alleges that the group lost out on $5 million to play Coachella because Hill felt snubbed that No Doubt was at the top of the bill over them.
"Hill's arrogance was again demonstrated when she unilaterally rejected a $5 Million offer [to play Coachella]. The reason was that her ego was bruised since the group No Doubt would be receiving top billing over The Fugees the night of their show," the lawsuit states.
"Hill never told Pras about the offer or that she had was rejected it. Pras only learned about it when it was too late, after Hill, in an astonishing display of hubris, asked Pras if he would agree to perform a few Fugees songs for free as the opening act for her son, 'YG' Marley, who was slated to perform at the same Coachella festival," it continues.
The complaint further alleges that Hill exploited Michél due to his financial needs. Previously, Michél had mounting legal fees due to a legal battle with the U.S. Department of Justice after being named as a co-defendant of Jho Low, who allegedly stole $4.5 billion from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund, Variety reports. Michél ended up being convicted in charges related to the case in 2023.
By the time the tour rolled around and was ultimately canceled, the lawsuit said that Hill did not help out Michél in his situation. Instead, the cancelled tour left the superstar owing nearly $1 million in unrecouped expenses.
"Hill was taking 40% of the tour guarantees and tour net profits 'off the top' for herself, leaving the remaining 60% to be split equally between Hill, Pras and Wyclef," the lawsuit says.
It did not end there as earlier this year Hill created an agreement with Live Nation for a tour that would include 18 shows and would begin in August. The lawsuit alleges that Michél was not included in the agreement. While Variety claims that ticket sales were low, Michél blames the poor performance on Hill once again.
"[Hill] had taken far too long to close the deal with Live Nation [and] there was little or no marketing for the tour, and not enough time between the announcement and the first concert date to do sufficient advance sales to justify the tour," Michél alleges.
The result was that the tour got cancelled and Michél claims that Hill "tarnished the Fugees brand" as a result.
Hill has not publicly spoken on the lawsuit at the time of reporting. But she did speak out about the cancellation of the Fugees tour in a post to her Instagram account back in August, blaming it in part to low ticket sales.
"Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows. Regrettably, some media outlet's penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour. The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal," she wrote.
She also shared that performing for her fans "is a profound exchange of energy and emotion that excites me every time."
"Every show is a piece of my expression and testament to our connection and shared love for music. I can assure you that no one is more disappointed about not being able to perform than I am. Know that I am not only grateful for those who appreciate and support my art, but that I FIGHT and push through all kinds of resistance to put together experiences that mean something for all of us. I love being able to bring these performances to you!" Hill furthered.
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