Ms. Lauryn Hill has responded in detail to a fraud and breach of contract lawsuit filed against her by Fugees bandmate Pras Michel over the group’s truncated 2023 reunion tour and the collapse of a planned 2024 run, which was abruptly canceled in August. In the complaint, Michel blames Hill for mismanaging and deceiving her bandmates about the tour’s finances. It also claims Hill personally rejected a $5 million offer to perform at Coachella because No Doubt would have been listed higher on the bill.
The situation is even more complicated due to Michel’s own precarious legal situation; in April 2023, he was found guilty of 10 counts of conspiracy, witness tampering and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government (China) for his role in a $100 million scheme to influence American politics. Michel was originally charged in 2019 and faces up to 20 years in prison, although he has yet to be sentenced.
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In her statement, Hill calls the suit “baseless,” “false” and full of “unwarranted attacks.” She says Michael was given a $3 million advance for the 2023 tour, “which he said he required to pay his legal bills,” and that she and group member Wyclef Jean “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.”
She further says Michel had previously thanked Hill for “saving his life,” a strong contrast to the fiery language in his lawsuit. “I was not in Pras’ life when he decided to make the unfortunate decision that lead to his current legal troubles,” she says. “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 2024 dates were planned to begin Aug. 9 in Tampa, Fl., but were pulled on two days’ notice. At first, no official announcement was made, but Hill later said she could not perform due to an unspecified injury and blamed the media for pushing false narratives. Observers have speculated that promoter Live Nation actually scrapped the shows due to poor ticket sales.
The year prior, Hill incorporated the Fugees into her 25th anniversary tour for her classic album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. However, she was forced to postpone several of the 2023 gigs due to vocal strain. In 2021, the Fugees played a 2021 gig at New York’s Rooftop at Pier 17, which was meant to launch a reunion tour later that year in support of the 25th anniversary of their beloved album The Score, but that 12-date run was initially postponed and then eventually canceled in early 2022.
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