The Lauryn Hill lawsuit is about Fugees bandmate Prakazrel “Pras” Michel suing her for fraud and breach of contract. Michel alleges she cheated him out of his fair share of profits from last year’s group tour.
The lawsuit was filed in New York federal court on Tuesday. It accuses Hill of illicitly taking a 40 percent cut of the tour’s proceeds “off the top” before splitting the rest. Here’s all you need to know.
What Does Michel Hope To Gain With the Lauryn Hill Lawsuit?
Michel seeks unspecified damages and a court order nullifying the contracts he signed in exchange for joining Hill’s 2023 tour. Those contracts allegedly relinquished some of his intellectual property rights and proceeds from the Fugees’ future artistic endeavors.
The Lauryn Hill lawsuit comes as Hill and Wyclef Jean move forward with plans for a European tour after their run of shows in North America was canceled days before it started due to poor ticket sales. It highlights the contentious split between Hill and Michel, who won’t be joining his bandmates.
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Where the Issue With Pras Michel Began
The problem started in 2023 when Lauryn Hill announced a solo tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her Grammy-winning album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” Later the same year, she pitched reuniting the Fugees as part of the tour. At the time, Pras Michel was battling allegations of fraud.
The government was convinced he allegedly funneled money from Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho to a network of straw donors to make illegal campaign contributions for Barack Obama in 2012. After turning down a plea deal, he was found guilty last year for the part he played in the stealing of roughly $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s state-owned investment fund.
According to Michel, he agreed to join Hill on the tour in hopes of overturning the conviction. He received an advance against his one-third share of the tour’s expected profits and accepted “onerous terms he would have normally rejected.”
According to the lawsuit, those terms included ceding creative control of the tour to Lauryn Hill and agreeing to license the group’s trademark for live shows in later years, regardless of whether he was included.
More Claims From the Lauryn Hill Lawsuit
Pras Michel claims that as per the agreement, their group was to split a $750,000 payment per show equally. But he alleges he later discovered that MLH, Lauryn Hill’s company managing the tour, was getting roughly $1.26 million.
The lawsuit says they “failed to disclose to Michel that the 2023 Fugees Tour accounting was set up so that Hill and MLH took a 40 percent cut of the tour guarantees and net profits ‘off the top’ before calculating Michel’s 1/3 share.”
Thanks to the alleged scheme, Pras Michel argues he was tricked into entering contracts he wouldn’t have had he known the truth. Those agreements detailed control of future artistic endeavors, including recording services, ownership of recording projects, and live performances.
The Lauryn Hill lawsuit also blames her for the bungled 2024 tour in North America, which was canceled due to poor ticket sales. Notably, Hill entered into an agreement with Live Nation earlier this year for an 18-show Fugees tour slated for August.
However, the complaint states that the deal fell through because Live Nation would only promote the tour if Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel agreed to perform with Lauryn Hill as the Fugees. In the end, Live Nation allegedly couldn’t market the tour in time for sufficient ticket sales.
The lawsuit also highlights how Hill unilaterally rejected a $5 million offer for the group to perform at Coachella.
Why Did They Cancel Lauryn Hill?
Lauryn Hill has come under fire several times recently for various reasons. One major one is the singer’s reputation for arriving late to her performances, sometimes by several hours.
It has led to numerous customer complaints, often resulting in fans leaving the venue before she even takes the stage, negative reviews, and decreased ticket sales. Her lateness has even been known to affect the scheduling of her tours. Sometimes, it causes entire shows to be canceled or rescheduled.
What Happened With Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley?
Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley were in a long-term relationship from 1996 to 2009. Between that time, they welcomed five children together: Zion, Selah, Joshua, John, and Sarah. Unfortunately, the couple separated in 2009, with various personal and professional reasons contributing to the split.
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How Many Biological Children Does Lauryn Hill Have?
Lauryn Hill has six biological children, including Zion, Selah, Joshua, John, Sarah, and Micah. The first five are the product of her long-term relationship with Rohan Marley. Micah is her youngest child, and the identity of his father is not publicly known.
How Much Is Lauryn Hill Worth in 2024?
Lauryn Hill’s net worth is estimated to be around $9 million in 2024. Most of her wealth comes primarily from her successful music career, which includes album sales, tours, and royalties.
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