First of potentially many civil trials against rapper and Live Nation to begin May 6
Travis Scott will face a civil trial stemming from the Astroworld tragedy after a judge denied the rapper’s bid to be dismissed from the pending lawsuits.
In March, with a civil trial looming, Scott’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the rapper from the pending litigation, arguing that “performers are not expected to render special protection to the audience, nor to safeguard them from the rest of the crowd.”
“No one disputes that tragedy struck the Astroworld Festival,” the motion stated. “But promoting and performing at a concert do not equate to the power to control a crowd or to design a venue safely. Basic tort principles prevent imposing liability on the Scott Defendants for a tragedy arising from forces legally controlled by others.”
While Astroworld guest Drake was successful in getting dismissed from the civil lawsuits earlier this month, Judge Kristen Hawkins denied Scott’s bid without explanation, Billboard reports. As a result, Scott will be among the defendants — along with Live Nation and other organizers — when the first trial, a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Astroworld victim Madison Dubiski, begins May 6.
Although Scott and Live Nation face billions in damages at the civil trials, a grand jury in Houston determined last June that Scott and several organizers behind the festival would not face criminal charges over the festival.
In documents obtained by Houston Landing in March, it was revealed that organizers were worried just 10 days before Astroworld over how the event would fit 50,000 people outside NRG Park. Court records showed that a miscalculation by organizers also contributed to too many ticketed attendees at the deadly fest. Other factors that likely contributed to the massive overcrowding in certain areas included the number of trees that obscured vantage points and led to overcrowding in areas with better sight lines, and gate-crashers.
