Astroworld: Travis Scott grilled in court for eight hours

Travis Scott was questioned for several hours on Monday (18 September) over hundreds of lawsuits that were filed against him and others after 2021’s Astroworld Festival.

Ten concertgoers, aged between nine and 27, died following a crowd surge during Travis Scott’s headline set at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, in November 2021.

The civil deposition, which lasted nearly eight hours, took place in Houston, Texas, and marked the first time the rapper has been questioned by lawyers over the festival.

Lawyers and others connected to the civil lawsuits are under a gag order, preventing them from saying little beyond what happens during court hearings.

However, in a statement, Ted Anastasiou, a spokesperson for Scott, said: “Travis Scott’s deposition is typical legal procedure. What is not typical is how the media continues to focus on him despite being cleared of any wrongdoing by extensive government investigations, including by the Houston Police Department.

“Travis is fully cooperating with the legal process while still remaining committed to his tour in support of his record-breaking album, ‘Utopia,’ and his charitable efforts to support at-risk communities.”

Scott could be ordered to pay billions of dollars in compensation, depending on the outcome of the trial that begins on 6 May 2024

Almost 5,000 people have claimed they were injured in the disaster, with lawsuits filed in each of the 24 district courts in Harris County. Nearly every claim alleges negligence such as “failures of safety and security rules, crowd control and emergency response measures, and failures to provide adequate security, supervision, training and care”.

Last year, the go-ahead was given for hundreds of the lawsuits to be formally consolidated into a single case. The first wrongful death lawsuit settlements were reportedly reached last autumn.

In June it was announced that no criminal charges would be filed over the tragedy at Astroworld (cap. 50,000), which was promoted by Live Nation and Austin-based Scoremore.

Jurors at the Harris County District Attorney declined to charge Scott (real name Jaques Webster II), festival manager Brent Silberstein, John Junell of Live Nation, security planners Shawna Boardman and Seyth Boardman of Contemporary Services Corporation, and Emily Ockenden, formerly of event production company BWG, after reviewing all the evidence.

However, Scott could be ordered to pay billions of dollars in compensation, depending on the outcome of the trial that begins on 6 May 2024.

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