A Houston judge refused Travis ScottHis motion to be thrown out of the sprawling trial over the 2021 Astroworld music festival disaster ahead of an upcoming jury trial next month.
Scott's lawyers had argued that the star himself could not be held legally responsible for the deadly crowd crush at his November 2021 show that killed 10 and injured hundreds. They argued that safety and security at live events “is not the job of the artists”.
But in a ruling released Wednesday, Judge Kristen Hawkins denied that motion, leaving Scott to face the first jury trial in the case, which begins next month. She did not offer a written rationale for her decision, and Scott's lawyers did not return a request for comment.
More than 2,500 people have sued Astroworld – a popular festival headlined and marketed by Houston's Scott that turned deadly in 2021. Collectively seeking billions in potential damages, the victims claim that Scott (real name Jacques Bermon Webster II), Live Nation and other promoters were legally negligent in the way they planned the event.
The lawsuits, combined into a single grand action in Texas state court in Houston, have spent much of the past two years in discovery as the two sides exchange information and take depositions from key people. Scott deposed in October, facing questioning by plaintiffs' lawyers for about eight hours, according to the Associated Press.
The first trial in the mass lawsuit — a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old who died on Astroworld — is set to begin May 6.
With the trial date approaching, many of the defendants have pushed to withdraw from the case. Drake (Aubrey Graham), who was named in many of the lawsuits for appearing on stage as a guest performer during Scott's fatal performance, was fired earlier this month.
Scott's lawyers argued last month that he too should not be held responsible for the tragic incident. Although the event was promoted under Scott's name and brand, his lawyers said he was just a stage performer who was not responsible for ensuring the safety of the public.
“Like any other adrenaline-inducing diversion, music festivals must balance joy with safety and security — but that balance is not the job of artists, even those involved in promoting and marketing shows,” wrote Scott's lawyer. Daniel Petrocelli. “Which only makes sense: Artists, even those involved in some promotional activities, have no inherent expertise or specialized knowledge in concert security measures, venue security protocols, or website design.”
At a hearing on that motion last week, attorneys for Dubiski's family pushed back against Scott's arguments, saying he had a “conscious disregard for safety.”
As reported by the Associated Press, the victim's attorneys argued that Scott had encouraged fans to break into the concert without a ticket, citing a tweet on the day of the concert in which he said “we're still sneaking the wild ones in.” They also said he created dangerous crowd flow conditions by insisting that Scott be the only musical act to use the main stage on the first day of the festival and then ignoring orders from festival organizers to stop the concert when conditions became dangerous.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/travis-scott-jury-trial-astroworld-lawsuits-judge/
