Pras Michél, a founding member of the Grammy-winning hip-hop group The Fugees, has filed a lawsuit against bandmate Lauryn Hill, accusing her of fraud and breach of contract related to their shortened 2023 tour and a canceled 2024 tour.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Hill mismanaged various aspects of the 2023 tour, including its setup, marketing, and budget. According to the complaint, Hill’s actions were “a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself,” with claims that she siphoned money from the tour guarantees for personal gain.
Variety reports that Pras also accuses Hill of preventing an audit of the tour’s finances, alleging that she withheld funds that should have been shared among the band. The full list of claims against Hill includes fraud, fraud in the inducement, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and refusal to permit an audit of the tour.
The Fugees, known for hits like “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not,” had previously reunited for their 2023 tour, which was cut short before it fully launched. The legal battle now casts uncertainty over the future of one of hip-hop’s most iconic groups.
“This morning, we filed a complaint for Prakazrel ‘Pras’ Michel against Lauryn Hill and MLH Touring, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (Case 1:24-cv-07403) for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract. The lawsuit alleges that Ms. Hill exploited Mr. Michel’s vulnerable legal situation, manipulating him into an unfair agreement for The Fugees’ 2023 reunion tour. Ms. Hill’s chronic tardiness was a hallmark of the tour, with shows routinely starting two or more hours late. Hill cancelled the second half of the tour and, at the same time, financially penalized and defrauded Mr. Michel. We assert that Ms. Hill misrepresented critical financial information and concealed her intent to take an excessive 60% share of the tour’s proceeds, leaving Mr. Michel with only 20% instead of the group’s customary one-third split. This legal action aims to hold Ms. Hill accountable and secure justice for Mr. Michel. The lawsuit comes on the cusp of the “Fugees” European tour by Hill and Wyclef Jean, at which Michael will not be performing.”
– Robert S. Meloni, Meloni & McCaffrey
In response to The Source, Ms. Lauryn Hill addresses Pras Michél’s lawsuit:
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 defense.
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.
Fact #5: As of the last tour Pras thanked me for ‘saving his life’. (I have the receipts.) 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 band mate 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 lead 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.
According to several confirmed reports, the first attempt to have the federal conspiracy conviction overturned for Pras of The Fugees was denied in federal court on Friday(April 12) by a judge who has presided over cases involving Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush and Microsoft.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the motion, saying there was more than sufficient evidence to convict Pras, whose real name is Prakazrel Michel, of the charges on the first go-round, and therefore, there was no reason to dismiss the conviction.
“After a five-week trial, a jury convicted Michel of ten counts,” the judge wrote in her memorandum. “The Court has thoroughly reviewed the extensive evidence presented at trial and finds the evidence sufficient to withstand a motion for judgment of acquittal under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29. Accordingly, Michel’s [309] Motion for Judgment of Acquittal is DENIED.”
Back in January, Pras’ former attorney David Kenner pleaded guilty to leaking confidential federal grand jury files to two reporters in 2023, which is in direct violation of federal rules. The United States District Court in Washington, DC found probable cause that the ex-attorney for Michel “committed misdemeanor contempt in violation of 18 USC 401 (c)” by leaking files.
Pras was convicted of money laundering and illegitimate lobbying tactics. Just a few months later, he began working toward bringing his case back to life on grounds of his ex-attorney apparently messing up “the single most important portion” of his defense by using AI to put together a closing statement.
“Kenner’s closing argument made frivolous arguments, misapprehended the required elements, conflated the schemes and ignored critical weaknesses in the government’s case,”Pras’ new legal team stated in a brief. “The AI program failed Kenner, and Kenner failed [Pras] Michel. The closing argument was deficient, unhelpful and a missed opportunity that prejudiced the defense.”
David Kenner is the famed attorney who represented Death Row Records in the 90s and was able to secure an acquittal for Snoop Dogg’s murder trial back in 1993.
On this date in 1994, crew members Wyclef Jean, Pras, and a young, talented Lauryn Hill, known as The Fugees, formulated their first album, Blunted On Reality, on Hip Hop indie imprint Ruffhouse Records.
Not as familiar to Hip Hop heads as their follow-up smash sophomore album The Score, Blunted On Reality did not receive commercial success their first go around, yielding only 12,000 copies sold in the first two years. After the release of The Score, that number jumped to 125K.
With Clef’s hands in every aspect of production, there were very few times when the Haitian national wasn’t behind the boards during the production of this album. Other producers include Salaam Remi, Brand X, Khallis Bayyan and even Pras.
Salute to the trio for bringing us this slept on classic!
On this date in 1994, crew members Wyclef Jean, Pras, and a young, talented Lauryn Hill, known as The Fugees, formulated their first album, Blunted On Reality, on Hip Hop indie imprint Ruffhouse Records.
Not as familiar to Hip Hop heads as their follow-up smash sophomore album The Score, Blunted On Reality did not receive commercial success their first go around, yielding only 12,000 copies sold in the first two years. After the release of The Score, that number jumped to 125K.
With Clef’s hands in every aspect of production, there were very few times when the Haitian national wasn’t behind the boards during the production of this album. Other producers include Salaam Remi, Brand X, Khallis Bayyan and even Pras.
Salute to the trio for bringing us this slept on classic!
Last week, Pras of The Fugees was found guilty of 10 charges in an international conspiracy in federal court in Washington, D.C. Rumors of the famed rapper becoming an FBI informant began to surface. Still, the recently convicted felon says despite the verdict, he is not an FBI informant.
While speaking to TMZ, Pras said, “I was never in the past, present, or future, an FBI or CIA informant.” He doubled down on his stance by asking where people could find the paperwork to see he was not an informant. He said, “This is not a Tekashi 6ix9ine situation, respectfully speaking.”
According to an AP News report, Pras “was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, then trying to squelch a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration.”
Pras, the 3rd member of award-winning The Fugees hip-hop group, was convicted on 10 felony counts by federal prosecutors on April 26th. Pras entered a plea of not guilty to multiple charges. These charges included acting as an unregistered foreign agent of China, witness tampering and conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions. Pras Michel chose to […]
On this date in 1994, crew members Wyclef Jean, Pras, and a young, talented Lauryn Hill otherwise known as The Fugees formulated their first album entitled Blunted On Reality on Hip Hop indie imprint Ruffhouse Records.
Not as familiar to Hip Hop heads as their follow-up smash sophomore album The Score, Blunted On Reality did not receive the commercial success their first go around, yielding only 12,000 copies sold in the first two years. After the release of The Score, that number jumped to 125K.
With Clef’s hands in every aspect of production, there were very few times when the Haitian national wasn’t behind the boards during the production of this album. Other producers include Salaam Remi, Brand X, Khallis Bayyan and even Pras.
Salute to the trio for bringing us this slept on classic!
After a 15 year hiatus, The Fugees, the iconic hip-hip group consisting of Ms . Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Mitchell, will reunite in an international tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their bestselling 1996 album “The Score.” Performance Is In Support Of Philanthropic Cause The group’s first public performance will be in […]
Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michelle of iconic hip-hop group Fugees have reunited and will go on their first world tour in 25 years. The tour is set to celebrate the anniversary of 1996’s The Score.
Presented by Diaspora Calling and produced by Live Nation, the 12-city international tour will kick off tomorrow, September 22nd with an intimate pop-up show in New York City, at an undisclosed location. After that show, Fugees will hit the United Center in Chicago on November 2 before hitting Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Paris, London, and more, before finishing the tour in Africa, with the final shows taking place in Nigeria and Ghana.
“The Fugees have a complex but impactful history,” said Ms. Lauryn Hill. “I wasn’t even aware the 25th anniversary had arrived until someone brought it to my attention. I decided to honor this significant project, its anniversary, and the fans who appreciated the music by creating a peaceful platform where we could unite, perform the music we loved, and set an example of reconciliation for the world.”
Wyclef Jean added, “As I celebrate 25 years with the Fugees, my first memory was that we vowed, from the gate, we would not just do music we would be a movement. We would be a voice for the un-heard, and in these challenging times, I am grateful once again, that God has brought us together.”
Pras from the Fugees has even more legal troubles.
The rapper was being investigated alongside Malaysian financier, Jho Low, for their involvement with the investment company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Then he allegedly pressured the Trump administration to drop the investigation.
As per the Department of Justice, Pras and Low, “are alleged to have conspired with Elliott Broidy, Nickie Lum Davis, and others to engage in undisclosed lobbying campaigns at the direction of Low and the Vice Minister of Public Security for the People’s Republic of China, respectively, both to have the 1MDB embezzlement investigation and forfeiture proceedings involving Low and others dropped and to have a Chinese dissident sent back to China.”
It added, “Michel and Low are also charged with conspiring to commit money laundering related to the foreign influence campaigns. Michel is also charged with witness tampering and conspiracy to make false statements to banks.”
Pras faces up to 20 years per count if he’s convicted.
The duo were charged in Washington D.C. in 2019 for raising illegal funds for Barack Obama’s 2012 Presidential campaign but hiding where the money was coming from.
