Image Source: Shawn Tron
A Swedish appeals court has revived a lawsuit filed by Arash “Ash” Pournouri, the former manager of late EDM star Avicii, after a Stockholm District Court dismissed the case earlier this year, according to Rolling Stone. The Svea Court of Appeal found that the lower court had made a procedural error by rejecting the claim before Pournouri was given the opportunity to fully clarify his position, and has now ordered the case to be reconsidered. 
Originally filed in late 2025, the lawsuit centres on a non-disparagement clause included in the agreement that ended Pournouri’s eight-year management relationship with Avicii, born Tim Bergling. Pournouri alleges that public portrayals of him in the documentary Avicii: True Stories and subsequent authorised biographies helped shape a misleading narrative around his role in the DJ’s career. He has consistently disputed suggestions that he pressured Bergling to continue performing despite ongoing health struggles, describing the resulting public perception as a form of “character assassination,” and arguing that “the image of Ash Pournouri portrayed in the documentary and books is completely inaccurate and amounts to character assassination.”
While the appeals court did not weigh in on the substance of those allegations, its ruling clears the way for the dispute to return to the Stockholm District Court for further proceedings. The decision comes amid separate legal action involving Avicii: True Stories director Levan Tsikurishvili, who was recently acquitted in a defamation case brought by Pournouri. With the appeal ruling now final, the lawsuit will move forward through the Swedish court system.
