Attorneys for Travis Scott last week asked a judge to dismiss the rapper as a defendant from one of the hundreds of lawsuits filed after the deadly Astroworld festival stampede in 2021, arguing that Scott was not responsible for overseeing safety at the Houston event, the Associated Press reported.
The families of the 10 festival-goers who were killed on November 5, 2021, along with hundreds of those injured when the crowd surged, filed lawsuits against several individuals and entities, including festival promoter Live Nation and Travis Scott.
Some of the lawsuits, including the ones filed by four families of those killed, have already been settled out of court.
In an April 15 hearing in the case brought by the family of Madison Dubiski, one of the ten people killed, the family’s attorney told District Judge Kirsten Hawkins that the rapper ignored safety concerns and even threatened to publicly release the personal information of anyone who tried to cancel the festival over questions of safety.
However, Scott’s attorney Stephen Brody told the court that the rapper was “heartbroken” and “devastated” by the tragedy when festival organizers attempted to shut down the concert.
Brody said his client and his XX Global production company should be removed from the case, arguing that his only responsibility in arranging the festival was finding talent, marketing, performing, and giving final creative approval.
When asked by Judge Hawkins if Scott had the authority to pause the show, Brody said the rapper could stop performing until an issue was resolved.
Attorney Noah Wexler, the Dubiski family’s attorney, said under Texas law, Scott was responsible for safety at the event since his contract named him a co-promoter.
Wexler also pointed out that in a tweet on May 5, 2021, after the event had already sold out, Scott told his fans to show up anyway, saying, “we still sneaking the wild ones in.” He told the judge that by encouraging more people to show up, Scott made conditions more dangerous at an event that was already “massively oversold.” He accused the rapper of showing a “conscious disregard for safety.”
The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial on May 6.
