Judge Rejects Travis Scott’s Motion to Dismiss Astroworld Lawsuits
In a significant development, a judge has declined to dismiss hundreds of lawsuits filed against rap star Travis Scott over his alleged role in the tragic 2021 Astroworld festival where 10 people lost their lives in a crowd surge.
State District Judge Kristen Hawkins issued a one-page order denying Scott’s request that he and his touring and production company, XX Global, be dropped from the case. The order was signed on Tuesday but made public on Wednesday.
Scott’s attorneys had argued that he was not responsible for safety planning and monitoring potential dangers at the concert on November 5, 2021. They claimed that Scott’s duties and responsibilities related solely to creative aspects, such as performing and marketing.
However, Noah Wexler, an attorney representing the family of Madison Dubiski, one of the 10 deceased victims, argued that Scott, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, displayed a “conscious disregard for safety” at the sold-out festival.
Wexler alleged that Scott encouraged people without tickets to break in and ignored instructions from festival organizers to halt the concert when informed that attendees were being injured or dying.
Earlier this month, Judge Hawkins dismissed lawsuits against Drake and several other individuals and entities involved in the event. The lawsuit filed by Dubiski’s family is set to be the first to proceed to trial on May 6.
The families of the 10 victims who perished, along with hundreds who were injured, filed lawsuits against Scott and Live Nation, the festival’s promoter, as well as numerous other individuals and entities. Despite an investigation by Houston police, no charges were filed against Scott, and a grand jury declined to indict him or five others on any criminal charges related to the deadly concert.
Those who died, ranging in age from 9 to 27, succumbed to compression asphyxia, which an expert likened to being crushed by a car. Some of the lawsuits filed by the families of the deceased and the injured have been settled, including those filed by the families of four of the fatalities.
