Fans injured in the Astroworld tragedy, along with the families of some of the dead, have filed more than 100 lawsuits against Travis Scott and Live Nation.
Nine people died and more than 300 were hurt, including a 9-year-old boy who was left in a coma, when the first night of what was to be a two-day concert festival in Houston descended into chaos. Thousands of fans among the 50,000 that were packed into the general admission concert rushed the stage, crushing and trampling victims over a period of 40 minutes while the rapper continued performing.
The total number of suits against the event’s producer, Live Nation, reached 108 by the time Harris County District Court closed Friday.
The suits target not only Live Nation and Scott, but also rapper Drake — whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham — who appeared on stage with Scott during the mayhem, and a variety of others.
“The deadly crowd surge and its aftermath unfolded right in front of Webster and Graham. Nonetheless, they continued their performance while medical personnel struggled to reach the numerous unconscious and injured concertgoers,” alleged Niaara Goods, who claims she was injured in the middle of the crowd and is suing for $1 million.
Among those named in various suits are Scott’s record company, Cactus Jack Records; Houston-based production company Scoremore LLC; producer Sascha Stone Guttfreund; ASM Global, which manages the stadium; and Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., which owns the venue.
Contemporary Services Corp., a Northridge, California-based firm whose website bills it as “the leader in crowd management,” was also targeted in several suits. Authorities said that in addition to 528 Houston police officers at the event, Live Nation had 755 private security personnel on hand at the festival.
One lawsuit claims women were sexually assaulted by crowd members during the crush. The family of the 9-year-old boy, Ezra Blount, filed suit on Tuesday.
The parents of Madison Dubiski filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of their 23-year-old daughter. A case filed Tuesday on behalf of Bharti Shahani, 22, was withdrawn on Wednesday, when she died.