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Avicii’s former manager Ash Pournouri has filed a lawsuit against the late Swedish DJ’s estate. He accuses the Netflix documentary “Avicii: True Stories” published in 2016, the book “Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii” from 2021 and the work “Avicii: The Life and Music of Tim Bergling” published in 2024, to have slandered him.
Lawsuit against estate and publications
Pournouri and Avicii separated in 2016. According to the lawsuit, an agreement was reached at the time that prohibited the DJ or his heirs from speaking publicly about their collaboration or the circumstances of the separation. However, the documentation and books go into detail about this period and, according to Pournouri, paint a highly distorted picture.
“This was done primarily through the portrayal of Arash Pournouri as a person who is Tim Bergling [Avicii] “The image of Ash Pournouri conveyed in the documentary and the books is completely inaccurate and amounts to a character assassination campaign.”
Allegations about touring and health
Avicii ended his touring activities in 2016, two years before his suicide. According to the lawsuit, the documentary creates the impression that Pournouri pressured him to continue performing despite significant mental health issues. “Tim [Avicii] is going to die,” Pournouri says at one point in the film. “With all the interviews, radio tours and everything, he’s going to drop dead.”
Pournouri admits to having used these words, but emphasizes that they would be misunderstood in English. In Swedish, “he will die” simply means that someone is extremely upset or overwhelmed.
Statement on Instagram
In a post on his official Instagram page, Pournouri explains why he saw no other choice but to file a lawsuit. “It is a last resort,” he wrote. “Courts create disclosure, depositions and an official record. They prevent public relations spins, prohibit editing for story or profit, compel documents to come to light and produce results based on facts – not mere narratives.”
He emphasizes that it’s not about money for him. “The Swedish court case requires a symbolic amount of damages to enable a declaratory judgment,” Pournouri writes. “Attorney fees are being claimed. Although I have suffered significant damages, any possible compensation will go directly to charity. I am not taking anything personally. This is about the truth, not profit.”