A judge has ruled that Travis Scott must face jury trial following the horrific Astroworld tragedy.
The Houston judge confirmed that the rapper could be held responsible in a civil lawsuit over the deaths of 10 people back in 2021. The individuals lost their lives following a Travis Scott performance at NRG Park in Houston.
The cause of death for the victims who died at the concert was found to be compression asphyxia – caused by external pressure cutting off air from the body due to the number of people at the venue, as well as the panic that ensued while the rapper was performing, as per a report by Forbes.
Ezra Blount was the youngest of the victims, aged only nine years old when the tragedy claimed his life.
Previous requests for an independent investigation had initially been rejected.
“The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son,” their lawyer Ben Crump said in a statement at the time. “This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyful celebration. Ezra’s death is absolutely heartbreaking.”
The other victims included Bharti Shahani, 22, John Hilgert, 14, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Jacob Jurinek, 20, Franco Patiño, 21, Axel Acosta, 21, Rudy Peña, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, and Danish Baig, 27.
A few weeks after the event, a $2 billion lawsuit by hundreds of injured victims was filed in a state court in Houston.
Less than a year later, a grand jury failed to indict Scott on any criminal charges connected to the concert with the investigation concluding that “no single individual was criminally responsible” for the deaths or injuries from the event.
As per the BBC, reports following the tragedy stated that there were several safety concerns involving officials who stated that there was a miscalculation about the number of people allowed to be within safety codes, which resulted in 50,000 concertgoers being allowed to cram into a space meant for under 35,000.
In an update earlier this month, Forbes reported that Scott’s lawyers asked for the rapper to be dismissed from the lawsuits filed by families and victims because he was only involved in the “creative process” behind his stage, and not any of the safety failures.
This request has been denied.
Scott’s attorney Daniel Petrocelli explained that the star should not be held liable for anything related to safety or security, as this is down to the venue and organizers.
“Like any other adrenaline-inducing diversion, music festivals must balance exhilaration with safety and security — but that balance is not the job of performing artists, even those involved in promoting and marketing performances,” wrote Petrocelli in a statement, per Billboard. “Which only makes sense: Performing artists, even those who engage in certain promotional activities, have no inherent expertise or specialized knowledge in concert safety measures, venue security protocols, or site design.”
However, the evidence against Scott includes a tweet posted by the rapper on the day of the concert which states: “…We still sneaking the wild ones in.”
The victims’ attorneys have suggested that this encouraged people to sneak into the venue without tickets, ultimately increasing the number of people and leading to a mass panic.
The first trial to take place will be the wrongful death case filed by the family of Madison Dubiski Madison Dubiski and is set to commence on May 6.
