Canadian emcee and singer Drake has recently been dismissed from the civil lawsuits filed against him and Travis Scott for the tragic 2021 Astroworld crowd crush at the NRG Park in Houston, Texas.
Drake headlined the 2021 event alongside Travis Scott to perform ‘SICKO MODE’ at the festival and, in the wake of the crush, was considered one of many culpable for the deaths of several fans following a stampede.
The Harris County judge overseeing the case, Kristen Brauchle Hawkins, didn’t only dismiss the lyricist (real name Aubrey Graham) but also dismissed Epic Records, the concert promoter ScoreMore, and other companies who were partially involved in the festival’s setup.
The remaining defendants include Scott, Apple Inc., and Live Nation Entertainment, the primary agency responsible for holding the event, which took place annually following the 2018 release of Astroworld.
Following the crush, which killed ten unexpecting fans in November 2021, Drake released a statement reading, “My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering. I will continue to pray for all of them and will be of service in any way I can. May God be with you all.”
Last year, Drake was issued a subpoena and forced to attend a deposition where he was required to give an oral testimony. However, his legal team ordered he be dismissed from legal proceedings as he “did not receive any security briefings, was not informed of any crowd control issues, injuries or deaths in the crowd, or any stop show orders at any time either before or during his 14-minute performance.”
When filing for Graham’s dismissal, his legal team also highlighted how the “Plaintiffs produce no evidence that [Drake] actually knew of any risk in the Festival site design and layout, competence or adequacy of Festival staffing and personnel, or emergency procedures such as show stop authority.”
Although last summer, a Harris County grand jury declined to indict Travis Scott in connection with the crush, he is still battling various other civil lawsuits.
