Travis Scott has been accused of allegedly violating his gag order following the Astroworld tragedy.
Tragically, last November, ten fans were killed at his festival in Texas after a stampede in the crowd, and many others were left seriously injured. Scott has been scrutinised heavily over his role in events and is facing hundreds of lawsuits as a consequence.
It’s believed the lawsuits against the rapper included a gag order which prevented him from discussing it in detail until it is dealt with in a court of law. However, on March 28th, he launched his campaign, Project HEAL, which aims to tackle concert safety, and as a result, he has been accused of violating his order.
Nine-year-old Ezra Blount was one of the Astroworld victims. One of his family’s attorneys, Bob Hilliard, accused Scott of “using the power of his social media presence” to potentially influence proceedings.
This issue is one of the main topics in the lawsuits, and State District Judge Kristen Hawkins previously explained only lawyers could discuss factual court issues because if anyone else spoke, it could turn public opinion.
Hilliard has told Hawkins that the rapper’s actions “did affect and dent the power of your order”. However, Scott’s attorney Stephen Brody denied his client had violated the gag order and claimed, “any efforts to prevent him from speaking on this or any other issue would be a violation of his constitutional right of free expression.”
“[Such charitable efforts have] “been a constant in his life,” Brody continued. “To suggest somehow that speaking about those charitable initiatives … runs afoul of the publicity order … is certainly not something that would withstand scrutiny.”
