Lauryn Hill Responds to Fugees Bandmate Pras Suing Her for Fraud, Calls It ‘Baseless’ and ‘Full of False Claims’
Two members of The Fugees are duking it out in court.
Lauryn Hill has responded to Pras’ lawsuit in a statement to Complex, citing that clarity and facts need to be presented.
In her statement, she writes, “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.”
She then presented some “facts” that corrected his lawsuit, calling it “baseless” and full of “false claims” that you can read below:
Fact #1: This baseless lawsuit by Pras is full of false claims and unwarranted attacks. It notably omits that he was advanced overpayment for the last tour and has failed to repay substantial loans extended by myself as an act of goodwill. Last year’s tour was put together to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It was being planned whether the Fugees were involved or not.
Fact #2: The tour was expanded to incorporate the Fugees because I found out that Pras was in trouble and would need money to aid his legal defense.
Fact #3: Pras was given a $3M advance for the tour, which he said he required to pay his legal fees. Wyclef and Myself deferred our full advances to make sure he had what he needed and was able to go. I covered most of the tour expenses, as the majority of the tour advance had gone to Pras. An agreement was put in place to secure the repayment of the money he was advanced. Pras has not paid back the money he was advanced, and is currently in breach of this agreement.
Fact #4: Because my tour, band, production, and set up were already happening, the Fugees set utilized this same production. I absorbed most of the expenses myself, produced the show, put together the entire set (with Wyclef’s participation for the Fugees and Wyclef’s set). Pras basically just had to show up and perform.
Fact #5: As of the last tour Pras thanked me for ‘saving his life’. (I have the receipts.)
Fact #6: I am not in the business of kicking anyone, especially when they’re down, which is why I haven’t responded to date. It is absolutely disheartening to see Pras in this position, my band mate and someone I considered a friend but this leads us to Fact #7, which probably should have been Fact #1…
Fact #7: I was not in Pras’ life when he decided to make the unfortunate decision that lead to his current legal troubles. I did not advise that he make that decision and therefore am in no way responsible for his decision and its consequences though I have taken it upon myself to help. Despite his attacks, I am still compassionate and hope things work out for him.
Variety reported that Pras Michel was suing Ms. Lauryn Hill in federal court over their shortened 2023 tour, which was later canceled. He has accused Hill of fraud, fraud in the inducement, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, accounting, and refusal to permit an audit of the Fugees’ tour.
Michel claims that Hill mismanaged the entire tour, from the marketing to the budgeting, and that the jaunt “was actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself,” per the filing. She also allegedly funneled money from the tour guarantees.
According to the suit, the Fugees’ 2023 tour should have been “a huge commercial success, since most of the shows for the entire arena size tour were sold out in advance.” But because Hill supervised the tour budget, Michel was left with nothing. Hill later canceled the second half of the tour in November 2023 due to “serious vocal strain.”
Michel also claims that Hill rejected a five million offer for The Fugees to play Coachella because of her “ego.”
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“Hill’s arrogance was again demonstrated when she unilaterally rejected five 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 suit states. “Hill never told Pras about the offer or that she had rejected it.”
Michel says that Hill suggested a Fugees tour when she “realized that the only chance for her to perform at arena-size venues and feed her insatiable ego would be to reunite with Michél and Jean and bill the 25th-anniversary tour as a Fugees tour,” the complaint says.
Michel accuses Hill of taking advantage of him because he needed money for legal fees. But the canceled 2023 tour didn’t lighten Michel’s load. He alleges that Hill took 40 percent of the tour guarantees and tour net profits “off the top” and Wyclef Jean, Hill, and Pras split the remaining 60 percent.
This August saw another failed Fugees tour, which Michel said was due to poor planning on Hill’s part.
Elsewhere in the suit, Michel alleges that Hill has “tarnished the Fugees brand” because of “her habit of showing up late for shows, sometimes by as many as two to three hours,” which has been an ongoing fan complaint.
