Travis Scott files to dismiss Astroworld lawsuits
The news comes just days after half of the bereaved families rejected Travis Scott’s offer to pay for their funeral costs
By Grace Almond
Travis Scott has filed requests to dismiss multiple lawsuits following the tragedy at Astroworld Festival.
Scott’s lawyers filed a legal response to 11 lawsuits which name him as a defendant in the disaster, which took place on November 5 and involved a crowd surge. Ten people died as a result of the crush, eight of whom passed away on the night, and two who died in hospital in the days afterwards.
25 people were admitted to hospital, and over 300 people were treated for injuries at the festival. The rapper has been named in almost 300 lawsuits filed in Harris County.
Scott has denied all allegations against him and his representative has said the rapper will most likely continue to file more dismissal requests.
People has reported that the rapper and his company, Cactus Jack Records, “generally deny the allegations” and “respectfully request that the claims against these Defendants be dismissed with prejudice.”
Astroworld’s promoters, Live Nation and its subsidiary ScoreMore, have also denied all allegations against them. The volume of lawsuits has led to attorneys on both sides agreeing to consolidate the filings into one case.
The petition reads: “Transfer of all of these lawsuits to a single pretrial judge for consolidated and coordinated pretrial proceedings will eliminate duplicative discovery, conserve resources of the judiciary, avoid conflicting legal rulings and scheduling, and otherwise promote the just and efficient conduct of all actions.”
The news comes just days after half of the bereaved families rejected Scott’s offer to pay for their funeral costs, including the family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount who was the youngest of the 10 concertgoers killed at the festival. The offer was made by Scott three days after Astroworld took place.
A lawyer for the family of 14-year-old John Hilgert, said the offer was “demeaning and inappropriate”, telling Rolling Stone that “of all the things this case is about, that’s the least of any concern.” He continued: “This family is set on making change, and ensuring this never happens at a concert again.”