Pras Sues Lauryn Hill for Alleged Fraud and Breach of Contract

Lauryn Hill is facing a lawsuit from her Fugees bandmate Pras Michel over allegations of fraud and breach of contract.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York and first reported by Variety on October 1, accuses Hill of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and refusing to allow an audit of the Fugees’ tour. Hill responded to the lawsuit, calling it “baseless” and filled with “false claims and unwarranted attacks.”

According to Michel, Hill mismanaged their canceled 2023 tour, citing failed attempts at planning, marketing, and budgeting. The lawsuit claims the tour was “a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself,” alleging that despite the tour’s potential success—given most of the shows were sold out—Michel didn’t receive any earnings because of what he described as “bloated” expenses that appeared to be designed to lose money. Hill ultimately canceled the tour, citing “serious vocal strain.”

Hill countered these claims, stating that Pras was actually overpaid for the tour. She claimed he received a $3 million advance, which he requested to cover legal fees, while both she and Wyclef Jean deferred their advances to ensure Michel had the funds he needed. Hill said she covered most of the tour expenses since the majority of the advance had gone to Pras.

Another significant detail in the lawsuit alleges that Hill turned down a $5 million offer for the Fugees to perform at Coachella, reportedly due to dissatisfaction with No Doubt being billed as the headliner over the Fugees. Michel claims he was unaware of this offer until it was too late, adding that Hill later asked if he would perform a few Fugees songs for free as the opening act for her son, ‘YG’ Marley, at the same Coachella festival.

Michel states he agreed to the tour, in part, to cover mounting legal fees. Following the tour’s cancellation, he claims he ended up owing nearly $1 million in un-recouped expenses and alleges that Hill was taking 40% of the tour guarantees and profits “off the top,” leaving the remaining 60% to be split between Hill, Pras, and Wyclef.

Interestingly, the lawsuit refers to Wyclef Jean as Hill’s former husband, though there is no evidence to support that they were ever married, despite their past romantic involvement.

In response to the lawsuit, Hill released a detailed statement providing her side of the story. She emphasized that the lawsuit was “full of false claims” and clarified that she had extended financial assistance to Pras, knowing he was facing legal troubles. She highlighted that the 2023 tour was intended to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and was already in planning before the Fugees’ involvement. She reiterated that Pras was given an advance and has not repaid the funds, which were meant to be secured by an agreement he is now allegedly breaching.

Hill stated that she had covered most of the tour expenses and that Pras “basically just had to show up and perform.” She expressed disappointment over the lawsuit but maintained compassion for her bandmate, emphasizing that she had no involvement in the legal issues that led to his current situation.

This legal battle follows a previous ruling in August, where Pras was denied a new trial after being convicted in April on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent for a foreign government. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Michel’s defense team had reportedly attempted to use generative AI for his closing statement, which was cited as a potential factor in seeking a retrial.