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Since the November 5 Astroworld tragedy, Travis Scott and Live Nation have been on the receiving end of mass scrutiny. The incident claimed nine lives and injured more than 300. Given the scale of the tragedy, several impaired attendees have filed lawsuits against organizers.
The ordeal started when Houston-based lawyer Tony Buzbee claimed to be representing nearly 35 plaintiffs who attended Astroworld. He said a collective suit is being planned.
Around the same time, 23-year-old Kristian Paredes sought $1 million in damages from Travis Scott and Drake. The suit claimed that these public personalities stimulated chaos and blamed Live Nation for the negligence.
Astroworld's collective lawsuit value estimated to reach billions
According to Deadline, there are currently over 200 lawsuits filed against the 30-year-old rapper and Live Nation. The number of suits is likely to increase in the coming weeks as more than 50,000 attendees of the concert and over 300 sustained injuries.
In a press conference, Ben Crump, who formerly represented George Floyd's family, mentioned that a consortium of lawyers, including him, were preparing a suit with 90 plaintiffs.
Crump further said:
"Most of the victims have been suffering mentally, physically and psychologically…This should have never, ever happened."
While speaking about the Astroworld tragedy, he said,
"This lawsuit is not just about getting justice for them, but it's about making sure the promoters and the organizers know that you cannot allow this to ever happen in the future, even if you have to immediately stop the concert."
He specifically criticized Live Nation by saying:
"One of them could have stopped the music and everybody could just take a breath. But they didn't do that."
Earlier, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner revealed that he had expressed his concerns regarding the safety of the concert on November 5. In the post, Finner wrote,
"I asked Travis Scott and his team to work with HPD for all events over the weekend and to be mindful of his team's social media messaging on any unscheduled events."
On November 8, Scott announced that he would cover the funeral costs of the deceased victims of the Astroworld tragedy. However, this did not prevent the rapper from getting sued by the families of some victims. He also announced free counseling for the attendees.
A day after Scott's announcement, the family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount, who is now comatose and on life-support, sued the rapper and Live Nation. Furthermore, as per the New York Post, the parents of late 23-year-old victim Madison Dubiski also filed suit against the promoters. Another victim, Niaara Goods, sued the rapper for $1 million for injury and damages.
As per the Independent, a Texas-based lawyer estimated the ultimate financial fallout from the Astroworld lawsuits to be in the billions.
