The lawsuits continue to mount up in relation to the tragedy that occurred at this month's Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas. And yesterday one lawyer filed a new lawsuit on behalf of 125 festival-goers seeking a mega $750 million in damages.
Ten people died and hundreds more were injured after a crowd surge occurred during Travis Scott’s headline set at the latest edition of the Astroworld event that he founded, which was staged at Houston's NRG Park. A criminal investigation is currently underway led by the Houston Police Department seeking to identify what led to the crowd surge, and to what extent poor planning or bad decision making on the ground contributed to the tragedy.
Alongside the criminal investigation, numerous lawsuits have also been filed by victims of the crowd surge, including the families of those who died. Houston-based lawyer Tony Buzbee last week told reporters he was already working for 35 of those victims, including the family of Axel Acosta, who died at the event. That has now increased to 125, who were named as plaintiffs on the new lawsuit yesterday. He's also said that he expects to file additional litigation on behalf of at least a hundred more people.
As expected, that lawsuit targets Scott himself and the promoters of Astroworld, Live Nation and Scoremore. It also names as defendants Scott's label Epic Records; Apple, which livestreamed the festival; and Drake, who appeared on stage with Scott even after a "mass casualty event" had been declared by police.
Commenting on the lawsuit on Instagram, Buzbee wrote: "We filed suit today on behalf of 125 Astroworld concertgoers, to include the family of Axel Acosta. Axel died at the concert. Many of the clients named in this lawsuit suffered broken bones, or twisted knees, or orthopaedic injuries. Many have psychological injury. I expect we will file on behalf of another 100 individuals very soon. I have been in contact with defence counsel for many of the entities sued, Live Nation".
"Our team has toured the site and collected evidence", he added. "We have taken statements from more than 50 witnesses. We have collected hours of video tape from almost every angle. No amount of money will fix what occurred on the night of 5 Nov. However, based on what I know now, to include what I learned during discussions with opposing counsel, it is my firm belief that every individual who attended that concert and who suffered injury will be fairly compensated. I intend to make sure of it".
Beyond the litigation, media and brands that have partnerships with Scott continue to review their relationships with the star. According to Page Six, fashion magazine W is currently trying to recall its next edition, which has Scott and his partner Kylie Jenner as cover stars. The magazine was already printed by the time Astroworld took place, but not actually on sale.
Sources told Page Six: "W editors have cleared any planned coverage of Travis and Kylie from their website, but the magazine was already printed, and now they are trying to stop the delivery trucks. In the light of what happened at Astroworld, the interview and cover lines seem inappropriate, to say the least".
We discuss the legal fall out from the Astroworld tragedy further in this week's episode of our Setlist podcast.