Attorneys representing Travis Scott made a case on Monday for the rapper’s exclusion from a number of lawsuits brought forth by individuals affected by the tragic Astroworld Festival in 2021. At Monday’s court hearing, Scott’s attorneys made the case that the rapper had no control over the festival’s safety or security procedures, absolving him of any responsibility for the tragic deaths of 10 attendees and the numerous injuries sustained by hundreds of others.
According to Attorney Steve Brody, Scott had a range of responsibilities including marketing, performing, hiring personal security, and handling various creative matters tied to the festival. He mentioned that it would be incorrect if the case against Scott were to proceed.
“There is no proof of the equal right of control,” Brody stated.
Brody pointed out that Scott lacked the power to halt the show. However, he did take a few moments during his performance to assess the audience on four different occasions during the concert.
During Monday’s hearing, the attorneys representing the family of Madison Dubiski, the 23-year-old Cypress woman who tragically passed away while attending the concert, objected to Scott’s request.
During the proceedings, Attorney Noah Wexler presented excerpts from a contract between Scott and Live Nation that clearly outlines their shared responsibility in managing and controlling the festival. The contract clearly states that both Scott and Live Nation had authority over different aspects of the festival, such as ticket sales, venue selection, site layout, and talent choices.
“This event was the festival organized by Travis Scott,” Wexler said. “It came about as a result of his tour agreement with Live Nation.”
According to Wexler, the event was described as being “massively oversold” and he alleged that Scott’s manager, David Stromberg, consistently dismissed safety concerns throughout the festival’s preproduction phase. According to prosecutors, Stromberg and Scott insisted that the Houston rapper be the sole performer on the main stage. This choice resulted in the crowd becoming dangerously crowded hours before Scott’s performance commenced.
In addition, Wexler alleged that Stromberg had made threats to expose the personal details of individuals who obstructed the festival’s safety and security team.
Ultimately, Judge Kristen Hawkins refrained from reaching a verdict on Scott’s request on Monday. As per an HPD timeline, Scott’s concert kicked off at 9:02 p.m. on the evening of Nov. 5, 2021.
Shortly after, HPD received the initial 911 call reporting a disturbаnce among the crowd. At 9:32 p.m., HPD started receiving reports of numerous individuals entering the medical tent, while others decided to climb onto camera platforms in an effort to disrupt the show.
At 9:39 p.m., the Houston Fire Department sprang into action, swiftly mobilizing an Ambulance Task Force to provide immediate medical assistance. Shortly after, the first individual was safely transported to the hospital. Meanwhile, HPD received a notification about victims receiving CPR. At 9:47 p.m., an announcement was made by the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council regarding a Mass Casualty Incident.
The show finally came to a close at 10:12 p.m., approximately 25 minutes after SETRAC’s declaration.
Tragically, there were casualties at the concert, with ten lives lost. Among those who passed away were individuals such as Mirza Baig, Rodolfo Peña, Madison Dubiski, Franco Patiño, Jacob Jurinke, John Hilgert, Axel Acosta, and Brianna Rodriguez. Bharti Shahani, 22, and Ezra Blount, 9, passed away in the days that followed.
In recent years, Scott has dealt with numerous civil lawsuits involving concert organizers and promoters such as Live Nation and Apple. Last summer, a Harris County grand jury chose not to bring criminal charges against Scott. Approximately one month later, the Houston Police Department made public a comprehensive 1,266-page report that provided extensive details of their thorough 19-month investigation into the incident.
Several of the legal cases brought by their surviving family members have been resolved through private agreements.
A multitude of defendants are seeking to be releasedThe majority of the hearing, which lasted over four hours, focused on the question of whether summary judgment should be given to several defendants. These defendants include Scott, Apple, ASM Global (the operator of NRG Park), Unified Command LLC (responsible for the concert’s camera system), and B3 Rιsk Solutions (the provider of the concert’s safety management team).
Drake, the Canadian rapper, had a guest appearance during the concert and was initially named as a defendant in the lawsuits. However, he was dismissed from the case last week, along with several others. Last week, Apple made a request to be excluded from the lawsuit, but unfortunately, their request was not granted.
However, during Monday’s hearing, Apple once again requested summary judgment. According to Attorney David Singh, Apple cannot be held responsible for any issues related to the festival’s safety and security procedures, as the company was solely involved in live streaming the event.
By 6:30 p.m. on Monday, the hearing had concluded without any official ruling from Judge Hawkins. However, she mentioned that another hearing would be scheduled within the next week.
Currently, the civil trial is set to commence on May 6.