Alanis Morissette says a temporary tour manager she hired for her 2025 run turned an airport dispute into a demand for 15 years of employment and substantial compensation.
The singer sued Keren Urinov in Los Angeles federal court on Sept. 1, accusing her of civil extortion, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. In the six-page complaint, Morissette alleges Urinov threatened to falsely implicate her in drug trafficking unless she agreed to a long-term employment arrangement.
The dispute traces back to Farnborough Airport on July 12, 2025, when Morissette’s touring party was preparing to travel from the United Kingdom to Spain. The lawsuit says a British Border Force official selected a bag for inspection and Urinov identified it as hers.
Urinov has not yet publicly answered Morissette’s detailed allegations in the U.S. case, while she filed her own proceeding against the singer in London on Aug. 19, nearly two weeks before Morissette sued in California.
Morissette Says the Airport Incident Came Before the 15-Year Demand
According to Morissette’s complaint, Urinov later told members of the touring party that Border Force had arrested her and issued a seizure notice alleging that the bag contained marijuana and xylazine. The filing says Urinov told them she acknowledged that the bag and its contents belonged to her and showed officials an Israeli medical marijuana license.
The complaint says the bag was returned and Urinov was released. After she rejoined the tour in Barcelona the following day, the group returned to the United Kingdom, where Border Force officers allegedly questioned Urinov again. Morissette says Urinov later told the team that she again took responsibility for the bag and the alleged substances inside it.
Morissette alleges the relationship changed after the tour ended. She says Urinov and her attorney began sending letters threatening litigation in the United Kingdom unless Morissette told British law enforcement that the alleged drugs were actually hers.
The Alleged Deal Included Raises, Bonuses and Immigration Help
Morissette says Urinov presented another way to put an end to the dispute, a fixed 15-year contract as a full-time tour director. The filing alleges that Urinov sought compensation appropriate to that position along with annual increases and bonuses.
The proposed arrangement allegedly went further. Morissette says Urinov wanted her to arrange for an immigration attorney to obtain a U.S. work visa and demanded additional compensation if a visa could not be secured.
Morissette rejected the proposal. Her complaint says Urinov’s counsel then sent another letter that allegedly implied Urinov would report Morissette to British authorities for drug trafficking, in addition to suing her, unless the employment and compensation demands were accepted.
Billboard, which first reported the lawsuit, identifies Urinov as a former head of Israeli operations for Live Nation who spent nine years in that role.
Morissette Also Alleges a Nearly $70,000 Hotel Error and an Earlier Arrest
Morissette’s filing says she already had reasons not to want Urinov running future tours. As one example, she alleges that a hotel-booking error during the 2025 tour caused her to spend nearly $70,000 unnecessarily.
The fraud and negligent-misrepresentation claims rely on a separate allegation about Urinov’s background. Morissette says Urinov represented during the hiring process that nothing in her past would create complications with visas or international travel.
According to the complaint, Urinov later told touring personnel that she and a friend had previously been arrested in a Latin American country over alleged drug smuggling involving a surfboard and that she left after being released on bail. A later section of the same filing identifies the country as Ecuador. The filing also says Morissette has paid some of Urinov’s legal fees and incurred substantial legal expenses of her own.
Urinov Filed Her Own London Case Before Morissette Sued
The dispute was already in court on the other side of the Atlantic before Morissette filed in Los Angeles. Entertainment Weekly reports that Urinov brought a claim against Morissette in London’s King’s Bench Division on Aug. 19.
Public records cited in current reporting categorize Urinov’s proceeding as a media-and-communications claim, a broad category that can encompass several types of disputes.
Morissette is seeking compensatory damages exceeding $75,000, punitive damages, interest and any additional relief the court considers appropriate. She has also demanded a jury trial on all issues eligible to be tried before a jury.