Lauryn Hill Sued for Fraud, Breach of Contract by Fugees Co-Founder Pras Michel

variety.com:

Tatiana Siegel Pras Michél, a founding member of Grammy-winning hip-hop group The Fugees, is suing his bandmate Lauryn Hill in federal court for fraud and breach of contract, among other claims, over their canceled tour.

In a scathing lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, Michél alleges that Hill grossly mismanaged the setup, marketing and budgeting of their scuttled 2023 tour, which “was actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself,” the complaint states, adding that the singer then secretly siphoned off money from the tour guarantees.

The full list of claims 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 claims 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, Michél came away empty-handed because Hill controlled the tour budget “that was so bloated with unnecessary and, most likely fictitious, expenses, that it seemed designed to lose money.” Furthermore, the tour was cut short when Hill abruptly and unilaterally cancelled the second half of the tour in November 2023, citing “serious vocal strain.” The lawsuit, which paints Hill as a wolf in sheep’s clothing with “narcissistic tendencies,” offers up juicy anecdotes, including one involving her turning down a $5 million offer for the Fugees to perform at Coachella this year over feeling snubbed by the festival putting No Doubt at the top of the bill. “Hill’s arrogance was again demonstrated when she unilaterally rejected a $5 Million offer [to play Coachella].