Pras Michél Claims Lauryn Hill Has “Narcissistic Tendencies” In New Fraud Lawsuit
Update: 10:48 a.m. PT (Oct. 2, 2024) – Erica Dumas, a representative for Michel’s attorney Robert Meloni issued a response to Ms. Lauryn Hill’s claims regarding the lawsuit.
“If she was so responsible with the management of the tour, why has she not sent an accounting to Pras?” questioned Dumas. “Why has she refused him the ability to audit her books and records? Where did the eight-figure advance she received from Mammoth go? Most importantly, why has she not addressed the fact that she has tarnished the Fugees brand with her chronic tardiness?”
This is a developing story.
Original story below.
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Update: 11:41 a.m. PT (Oct. 1, 2024) – Ms. Lauryn Hill responded to Pras Michél’s lawsuit in a statement to VIBE.
The memo begins “Some clarity and facts need to be presented. I’ve been silent and pushing through because I understood that Pras was under duress because of his legal battles and that this was perhaps affecting his judgment, state of mind and character,” adding seven “facts” to counterpoint Michél’s allegations.
The full statement is set to be published on VIBE in a separate story.
Original story below.
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Pras Michél has taken legal action against his Fugees bandmate Lauryn Hill. According to an exclusive report from Variety, Michél claims Hill has narcissistic tendencies in a long list of grievances detailed in the lawsuit filed on Tuesday (Oct. 1) in a New York federal court for fraud and breach of contract over their canceled tour.
Michél alleges Hill “grossly mismanaged the setup, marketing, and budgeting,” per Variety. He claims that the entire ordeal “was actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself.” Allegations made include fraud, fraud in the inducement, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, accounting and refusal to permit an audit of the Fugees’ tour.
The suit asserts that the 2023 Fugees tour “would have been a huge commercial success since most of shows for the entire arena size tour were sold out in advance.” However, Hill’s control of the budget resulted in a plan “that was so bloated with unnecessary and, most likely fictitious, expenses, that it seemed designed to lose money.”
Michél also claims that he lost money when Hill declined a $5 million offer for the Fugees to perform at Coachella.
“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,” detailed the filing.
“Hill never told Pras about the offer or that she had 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.”
Lauryn Hill and the Fugees canceled the tour just days before it was set to begin, with fans receiving a notification of a refund from TicketMaster. Pras initially expressed his frustration with the diss track “Bar Mitzfa,” blaming the Miseducation performer for the disruption.
“Performing for my 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 that I am,” shared Hill via social media.
According to Billboard, Michél claims for the 2024 tour, Hill misled Live Nation that he was “on board” despite no deal existing to receive a $1.1 million advance.
“That was another lie by Hill and [her company] since Michel was not ‘on board,’” say Michél’s lawyers, adding that her company “never signed the fully-negotiated agreement, never paid Michel anything, and never intended to do either.”
VIBE has contacted a spokesperson for Ms. Lauryn Hill for a statement.
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