On November 5th 2021, at NRG Park, Houston emcee Travis Scott hosted his Astroworld Festival. However, the excitement and rowdiness of the attendees led to a fatal crowd crush that caused many to be hospitalised.
The tragic incident sparked a lot of controversy, and many pinned the crush on the rapper. Droves of the fans present at the event were under the influence of toxic drugs and alcohol. As such, many questioned the lack of checks at the festival.
Now, after an attempt to get the case dismissed, Scott will face a civil lawsuit filed against him by the family of Astroworld victim Madison Dubiski, who was separated from her brother during the frenzy and killed by a stampede.
The district judge presiding over the case, Kristen Hawkins, denied Travis Scott’s attempt to have the case dismissed, which means he will have to fight the case. The Dubiskis will also battle the concert promoter Live Nation.
Dubiski’s case, set for May 6th, will be the first of many victim lawsuits Travis will face in the upcoming months. If they are found guilty for the deaths of the concertgoers, Scott and Live Nation will have to payout billions of dollars in damages to the victims’ families.
In court documents obtained by HipHopDX, it was revealed that Dubiski’s family will bring in expert witnesses to help fight their case, including the former emergency management director for the District of Columbia, Darrell Darnell.
Darnell apparently warned both Scott and Live Nation about the potential catastrophe that could occur if they attempted to cram so many fans into NRG Park and told them they had “breached their duties and responsibilities to implement a crowd management and/or crowd control plan.”
Whether the promoters’ failures extend to Scott, will be determined by the judge, and Live Nation may be the only organisation found guilty. You can see the court documents below.