Ash Pournouri's Lawsuit Against Avicii Estate Revived on Appeal

A Swedish appeals court has overturned the dismissal of Arash "Ash" Pournouri's lawsuit against the estate of Avicii, ruling that a lower court committed a procedural error when it threw out the case in March. The Svea Court of Appeal found that the Stockholm District Court judge dismissed the suit without giving Pournouri a proper chance to clarify his claims or allowing a full trial to proceed. The case now returns to district court for a new hearing.

The Non-Disparagement Dispute

Pournouri filed the lawsuit in December, alleging that the 2017 Netflix documentary Avicii: True Stories and two authorized biographies portrayed him as a manipulative slavedriver. He argues these projects violated a non-disparagement clause from his 2016 separation agreement with Tim Bergling by implying he overworked the producer and pressured him to tour, ultimately driving him to suicide. The dispute centers on how Pournouri was depicted in the wake of Avicii's death in 2018.

Pournouri Claims Vindication, Estate Stays Silent

In a statement following the May 25 ruling, Pournouri said his claim was publicly characterized as unfounded and the case as lost, but that the appellate court has now found the dismissal was a procedural error and overturned it. He added that the decision is final and cannot be appealed. The Avicii estate has not commented on the new ruling. When the lawsuit was initially dismissed, Tim's father, Klas Bergling, expressed how heartbreaking it was to see his son's name dragged into court battles, though he made clear that neither he nor Tim's mother have ever blamed Pournouri for their son's death.

Pournouri also filed a separate defamation suit against Levan Tsikurishvili, the director of True Stories, though that case was dismissed earlier this month due to a lack of evidence. The main lawsuit now heads back to district court in Sweden.