Travis Scott requests to dismiss Astroworld suits as Live Nation denies allegations
Travis Scott has filed requests to be dismissed from multiple lawsuits levelled against him in the wake of the Astroworld festival tragedy.
The rapper has been named in most of the nearly 300 suits filed in Harris County after 10 people died and hundreds more were injured last month when crowds rushed to the stage toward the start of Scott’s headline set.
Rolling Stone reports that a representative for Scott said the rapper “is not legally liable” for the tragedy. Scott has denied all the allegations set against him in 11 different lawsuits and his representative added that he will likely file more dismissal requests.
The news comes as Live Nation and its subsidiary ScoreMore, Astroworld’s promoters, on Monday (December 6) denied in filed documents all the allegations against them. The Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, which owns venue NRG Park where Astroworld was held, however, did not request for dismissal.
Due to the volume of lawsuits and the complexity of legal proceedings, last week attorneys filed a joint motion to Texas’ Supreme court to consolidate the cases to one judge.
Houston Police Department and claimants’ attorneys are continuing to gather information as part of their respective investigations into what went wrong at the festival, which will help them determine who is most culpable.
Lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing several attendees including the family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount who was killed at the festival, have targeted Live Nation in particular for having responsibility as the largest show promoter in the world.
It follows several victims’ families rejecting Scott’s offer to cover their loved ones’ funeral expenses.
Richard Mithoff, attorney for the family of 14-year-old victim John Hilgert who recently filed a lawsuit against the rapper over the tragedy, said the offer was “demeaning and really inappropriate”.
“It was not an offer [the Hilgerts] were going to seriously consider,” Mithoff told Rolling Stone.
“Of all the things this case is about, that’s the least of any concern. This family is set on making change, and ensuring this never happens at a concert again.”