Lauryn Hill has hit out at her Fugees bandmate Pras Michel’s lawsuit against her, calling it ‘desperate and unfortunate’.
The legal action comes after the 90s hitmaker shortened the Fugees 2023 tour and cancelled the Miseducation Anniversary US concerts this year, days before they were due on stage.
The Fugees previously confirmed their UK dates would go ahead and are due to play Cardiff on October 9, before heading to Manchester and London on October 12 and 14, respectively.
Michel, 51, has sued the 49-year-old frontwoman for fraud and breach of contract, accusing her of ‘grossly mismanaging the set-up, marketing and budgeting’ for 2023’s tour.
He added, in documents obtained by Variety, that the tour ‘was actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself’.
Hill has blasted the lawsuit as ‘disheartening’ in a statement, claiming she ‘absorbed’ most of the expenses.
The Ready or Not singer also alleged she and bandmate Wyclef Jean, 54, had waived their advance to financially benefit Michel.
The Miseducation Anniversary Tour 2024 was due to kick off in Tampa, Florida on August 9 before making its way across the US and over to Europe later this year.
Ticketholders were informed, after the 2023 tour was shortened, that the gigs would no longer go ahead with Hill citing ‘poor sales’ as the reason.
As part of the fraud claims, Michel alleged a ‘breach of fiduciary duty and refusal to permit an audit’ and stated Hill had overblown the budget.
Variety reports the lawsuit states the tour was ‘so bloated with unnecessary and, most likely fictitious, expenses, that it seemed designed to lose money’.
In addition to this, Michel claims Hill did not inform the group when she turned down a $5million offer to play Coachella, meaning he missed out on a payday.
Her reasoning, according to her bandmate, was that the Killing Me Softly hitmaker’s ‘ego was bruised’ after No Doubt landed top billing.
In response, Hill’s lawyer, Howard King, claimed the lawsuit was ‘packed with lies and intentionally disparaging remarks.’
He added: ‘It is particularly disappointing that the suit fails to reveal that Pras was grossly over-advanced for the last tour to help him pay his mounting legal bills.
‘His failure to show appreciation for the financial help Ms. Hill has afforded him in his time of need is disappointing. This action will be aggressively defended and defeated.’
Michel is currently facing up to 20 years in jail after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the US, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
Accusations include helping Malaysian businessman Jho Low and the Chinese government gain access to US Officials, including former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Hill, not shying away from the conflict, also posted a statement to her Instagram page with the caption: ‘I’ll probably have more to say…’
She wrote: ‘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.
‘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 defence.
‘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.’
She wasn’t done there as the Fu-Gee-La singer then claimed Michel had ‘thanked’ her for ‘saving his life’ during the last tour — adding that she ‘has the receipts’.
Her post continued: ‘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 bandmate 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 led 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.’
The Fugees rose to fame in the 90s with the hit album The Score, which landed several Grammy awards and numerous accolades.
It was the second-ever rap album to receive a nomination for album of the year during the 1997 Grammys, and the last album before the trio split.
Hits like Killing Me Softly With His Song, Ready or Not, and Fu-Gee-La climbed the charts and made the group a household name.
Lauryn later returned as a solo artist, becoming the first person to win album of the year with a rap album; The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.