Alanis Morissette is accusing her former tour manager of making “extortionate” threats to falsely implicate the singer in airport drug possession and trafficking allegations unless Morissette agreed to hire her under a 15-year contract.
“Plaintiff Alanis Morissette is the victim of a calculated blackmail campaign orchestrated by a disgruntled former tour manager,” the new lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court and obtained by Rolling Stone reads. “Morissette will not agree to work with an incompetent blackmailer for the next fifteen years or pay her a ransom under the gun.”
The six-page filing alleges that tour manager Keren Urinov was flagged for inspection and detained at a U.K. airport in 2025 while traveling with Morissette and her team for a concert in Spain. Urinov later told Morissette and others that British authorities had arrested her and issued a seizure notice stating that her bag contained marijuana and xylazine, according to the lawsuit. During questioning, Urinov allegedly told border officers that the bag and its contents, including the suspected drugs, belonged to her. She also showed officers an Israeli medical marijuana license and was released, the lawsuit claims.
According to the complaint, Urinov was detained again in Spain and later said she told border officials that the bag and the drugs belonged to her. After the tour ended, however, Urinov and her lawyer allegedly sent Morissette what the lawsuit describes as a series of “increasingly extortionate” letters threatening to sue.
Morissette alleges Urinov demanded that the singer tell British law enforcement that the drugs were hers or face litigation. According to the complaint, Urinov said Morissette could put “an end to the matter” by giving her a 15-year, full-time employment contract that would include significant compensation, annual raises, and bonuses. Urinov also allegedly demanded that Morissette hire an immigration lawyer for her.
When Morissette refused what the lawsuit calls the “brazen demands,” Urinov and her lawyer responded with a letter purportedly implying Urinov would accuse Morissette of drug trafficking. Morissette says she filed her own lawsuit “reluctantly,” knowing that “attacks on her character” could follow. She believed she had “no choice” to protect herself against “patently frivolous” allegations.
Attempts to reach Urinov were unsuccessful.
Morissette is suing for civil extortion, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation. She is seeking a jury trial, compensatory damages of more than $75,000, and punitive damages.
