Singer Alanis Morissette filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday accusing a former tour manager of extortion, alleging the manager threatened to implicate her in drug possession and trafficking unless she agreed to a 15-year employment contract.
Accusations of blackmail and threats
Morissette claims the harassment campaign was orchestrated by Keren Urinov, a former head of operations for Live Nation Israel whom the singer hired as a temporary tour manager in 2025. The trouble reportedly began during a trip from the United Kingdom to Spain for a concert. A British airport official flagged a bag for inspection, and Morissette alleges Urinov later told her that British Border Force officials arrested her and served a seizure notice claiming the bag contained marijuana and xylazine.
Urinov reportedly admitted to the authorities that the bag and its contents belonged to her and showed them her Israeli medical marijuana license. Following the incident, Urinov and her attorney sent a series of “increasingly extortionate” letters to Morissette. Urinov threatened to file a patently frivolous lawsuit against Morissette in the United Kingdom for unspecified claims unless she told British law enforcement that the alleged drugs were hers.
That demand, Morissette alleges, was a cover for a much larger scheme. She claims Urinov demanded a fixed-term, 15-year employment contract as her tour director. The contract would have included an income equivalent to that of a tour director, with annual increases and bonuses.
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Claims of incompetence and deception
Morissette’s complaint includes specific examples of what she describes as Urinov’s incompetence. The singer says Urinov made a hotel booking mistake that cost her $70,000 to correct. She also alleges that Urinov concealed her criminal history during the hiring process. According to Morissette, Urinov told the team during her interview for the tour manager position that nothing in her past would cause complications with obtaining visas or traveling. She claims Urinov never mentioned that she had previously been arrested for drug smuggling in a Latin American country or that she had illegally fled the country after being released on bail.
After Morissette refused the demands, the former manager’s counsel sent a letter implying they would report her to British authorities for drug trafficking if she did not capitulate. Morissette is seeking punitive damages for civil extortion, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation. Attempts to reach Urinov for comment were unsuccessful. Morissette wrote in the filing that she brings the lawsuit reluctantly but will not agree to work with an incompetent blackmailer for the next fifteen years or pay a ransom under pressure.
Legal experts note that the case highlights the extreme risks of employment agreements that are not voluntary.
