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Travis Scott and Live Nation are allegedly facing a lawsuit over the Astroworld crowd surge incident that left eight dead and over 300 people injured. Injured concertgoer Manuel Souza reportedly filed the case in the Harris County District Court on Saturday, November 6.
As per documents obtained by Billboard, the attendee claimed that the incident was a “predictable and preventable tragedy” that attempted to profit “at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety”.
The plaintiff has also described the event as an “encouragement of violence” and is seeking $1 million in damages. Meanwhile, another attendee named Kristian Paredes has reportedly filed a second lawsuit against the organizers, according to TMZ.
The second petitioner has also slammed showrunners for failing to plan a secure event and jeopardizing audience safety. He has sued the organizers for at least $1 million in damages.
Lawsuit against Travis Scott and Astroworld organizers explained
The legal petition against Travis Scott and Astroworld’s organizers, including Live Nation and ScoreMore, is likely to be one of the many lawsuits expected to be filed over the tragic and fatal crowd incident.
As per the first petition, Manuel Souza’s attorney Steve Kherkher wrote that the event was poorly planned and executed:
“Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner. Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases, actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.”
The claimants also mentioned that the organizers allegedly ignored the warning signs of the tragedy, including an initial stampede, trampling, and security gate breach. They even alleged that Travis Scott decided to continue performing on stage even after ambulances arrived at the incident scene:
“[Organizers] made the conscious decision to let the show go on, despite the extreme risk of harm to concertgoers that was escalating by the moment. Eventually, due to the defendants’ active decision to let the show go on, the scene devolved into a complete melee, resulting in the needless, untimely death of at least eight people and injuries to scores of others.”
According to Billboard, the attorneys have also requested a temporary restraining order to prevent damage to evidence. In addition to Travis Scott, Live Nation, and ScoreMore, a petition has been filed against the former’s Cactus Jack Records and other companies involved in the event.
Meanwhile, TMZ mentioned that a second lawsuit filed by Kristian Paredes had also listed Drake as one of the defendants for being present at the scene during the incident. The rapper previously made a surprise appearance at Astroworld ahead of the mass stampede.
Travis Scott’s response to the Astroworld tragedy
Following the incident of “mass casualty” at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, the rapper issued an official statement saying that he was initially unaware of the “severity of the situation”:
“You know my fans, my fans really mean the world to me, and I’ll always just really want to leave them with a positive experience. Any time I can make out anything that’s going on, I stop the show and help them get the help they need. I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.”
He also mentioned that the incident left him completely devastated:
“I mean, I’m honestly just devastated, and I could never imagine anything like this just happening. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed on what’s going on.”
The musician also sent his thoughts and prayers to everyone impacted by the tragedy:
“I just want to send out prayers to the ones that were lost last night. We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.”
Travis Scott also said he was working with the Houston Police Department, City of Houston, and the Houston Fire Department to investigate the situation further. However, the rapper and his team have not responded to the alleged lawsuits so far.
