Travis Scott, Drake, Live Nation & others sued following Astroworld Festival tragedy
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Travis Scott, Live Nation, and others involved in Houston's Astroworld Festival, where eight died and hundreds were injured on Friday night. The first was filed by attorneys representing a Houston resident, Manuel Souza, who says he was trampled at the festival, Business Insider reports. The suit, in which Scott, Live Nation, Scoremore, Cactus Jack Records and others are named as defendents, calls the tragedy "predictable and preventable" and says it was "months, if not years, in the making," pointing to a since-deleted tweet of Scott's from May reading "NAW AND WE STILL SNEAKING THE WILD ONES IN. !!!!!" and previous incidents at his shows. Steve Kherkher of Kherkher Garcia writes in the filing that there were "multiple reports of tramplings, patrons losing consciousness, patrons being unable to breathe due to profound lack of crowd control, inadequate water, inadequate security, and a lack of exit routes. So many people were hurt, and so few emergency personnel were provided by Defendants, that patrons themselves had to conduct CPR on their fellow concertgoers."
Another suit, from plaintiff Kristian Paredes, is against Scott and Drake, who made a surprise appearance during his set. CBS News reports that the suit alleges Scott and Drake incited "a riot and violence," that Scott "had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events," and that Drake "helped incite the crowd even though he knew of [Scott's] prior conduct," and "continued to perform on stage while the crowd mayhem continued." The suit, which is seeking $1 million in damages, also claims Live Nation didn't provide adequate security or medical services at the festival.
A third suit is being filed by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump on behalf of Noah Gutierrez. A statement from Crump reads, "We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced — the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them. We will be pursuing justice for all our clients who were harmed in this tragic and preventable event."
Scott has cancelled his Day N Vegas set, scheduled for Sunday, 11/14, following the tragedy at Astroworld, and he's promised refunds to all ticketholders.