Many participants and their families took steps to find the truth on their own. Astroworld`s injured and the families of the deceased began filing lawsuits against Scott and the festival`s producers shortly after the tragedy. These lawsuits have since been combined into a civil lawsuit. As of May 9, there were a total of 4,932 legal claims against Astroworld. Eleven of these claims relate to deaths related to mass panic, 732 to “bodily injury with intensive medical treatment”, 1,649 to “bodily injury with less extensive medical treatment” and 2,540 to “other”. Here are some of Astroworld`s top legal claims that are part of the massive case, as well as some general updates. If the necessary elements of negligence are proven in Astroworld`s lawsuits, the victims and injuries sustained as a result of the event could lead to major settlements for those who take legal action. After a fire and fatal incident at The Station nightclub in 2003 that killed 100 people and injured hundreds more, more than $115 million in civil settlements were eventually paid by various defendants. During the Las Vegas concert shooting (in which 58 spectators died and more than 800 were injured), a group of 4,500 plaintiffs hired lawyers to sue MGM Resorts International, the parent company of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, citing the hotel`s poor security as the reason the Las Vegas shooter was able to bring firearms into his suite. Eventually, MGM agreed to settle the lawsuit and pay the victims $800 million. But when does money really make up for the horror and loss caused by a tragedy like this? But one of the most pressing questions about the Astroworld tragedy is whether Scott knew the full extent of the chaos that unfolded during his performance. “The artist is ultimately the last and best chance to stop the mass wave and mob violence,” Mongeluzzi said.
“But one of the problems is that the artist needs to know and be able to communicate at the fair.” So far, more than ninety civil lawsuits have been filed over the incident, naming Live Nation, Scott and other artists performing at the event as defendants. [9] A complaint alleges that Scott and Live Nation failed to “create a safe environment at the Astroworld Festival. ensure adequate security. hire medical staff appropriately. [and] respond appropriately to recurrent medical problems. [10] The complaint also alleges gross negligence and alleges that the respondents “knew or had reason to experience an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm to the applicant.” [11] But who is really to blame for this tragedy? And how should the law change to prevent this type of accident in the future? Buzbee`s team issued a statement to People, saying his company “believes, based on their ongoing investigation, that Apple Music, Epic Records and many other companies that would benefit from Astroworld will share the legal debt before a Texas jury.” Buzbee`s company also plans to file another complaint “with 100 other named plaintiffs.” [36] See, for example, Ellen Durney, Travis Scott and Drake are being prosecuted for negligence and “inciting a crowd” at the Astroworld Festival, which killed at least 8 fans, Buzz Feed News (November 8, 2021), www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellendurney/travis-scott-and-drake-astroworld-negligence-lawsuits; J.D. Smith, Live Nation, not Travis Scott, caused the tragedy of Astroworld, Black Media Daily (November 13, 2021), blackmediadaily.com/live-nation-not-travis-scott-caused-the-astroworld-tragedy/ (and claimed that the tragedy was “a corporate greed issue on the part of Live Nation”). Did Scott`s previous actions serve to inform the other defendants of the need for a security presence and surveillance during the concert? There will be investigations to determine whether the defendants discussed safety protocols with Scott and whether they have taken steps to ensure that previous safety concerns have been addressed.
The responsibility of Live Nation, the venue and any other party involved in organizing the event depends on what they should have done to protect the crowd from an objective standard based on industry standards. Live Nation and the site were responsible for taking certain security precautions, including ensuring the appropriate number of security personnel, security personnel taking appropriate measures during the crowd rush, and maintaining the site`s capacity. If the alleged security breaches are related to overcapacity issues, lack of security or mass control personnel at the site, or fire breaches during a show, this would be relevant to the alleged negligence and injuries. Deadly mass gatherings have taken place in recent history, although the law does not always know who is ultimately responsible. “As a direct and immediate result of the defendant`s conduct by act and/or omission, plaintiff Shanazia suffered severe physical pain, suffering, psychological distress, emotional distress, discomfort, bodily harm” and the death of her unborn baby, the lawsuit states. “The defendants had a real and subjective awareness of the risks associated with the acts or omissions described above, but nevertheless proceeded with deliberate indifference to the rights, safety or well-being of the plaintiffs and others.” Their legal claim claims that as a result, they are “entitled to exemplary damages” and seek “financial relief of more than $1,000,000.” [9] Ray Sancez, Rosa Flores & Ed Lavandera, Deadly Astroworld Festival got out of control for hours, Houston FD Logs Show, CNN (November 12, 2021), www.cnn.com/2021/11/12/us/travis-scott-concert-houston-friday/index.html; Nicolaus Li, Travis Scott would face more than 30 lawsuits after the Astroworld tragedy, Hypebeast (November 10, 2021) hypebeast.com/2021/11/travis-scott-live-nation-drake-over-30-astroworld-festival-tragedy-lawsuits-info. [1] McKenzie Sadeghi, Fact Check: Post falsely claims that the Astroworld site had a maximum capacity limit of 20,000 people, USA Today (November 11, 2021), www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/11/11/fact-check-travis-scotts-astroworld-maximum-capacity-not-20-000/6357478001/. After the artists, Live Nation is the next visible defendant in the dozens of lawsuits that have accumulated after Astroworld. ScoreMore, a Texas-based developer acquired by Live Nation in 2018, is also cited as a defendant in several lawsuits.
As organizers of Astroworld, Live Nation and ScoreMore were responsible for planning, staffing, providing money, obtaining permits, finding suppliers, communicating with local agencies – almost everything related to running the festival, other than playing music.