Astroworld: All wrongful death lawsuits settled
The one remaining wrongful death lawsuit filed over the Astroworld disaster has been settled, it has been announced.
Ten people died and hundreds more were injured during the fatal crowd crush at the November 2021 festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, US.
The final case to be settled involved the family of Ezra Blount, a nine-year-old from Dallas who was the youngest person killed during the concert by rapper Travis Scott.
Blount’s family had sued Scott, festival promoter Live Nation and other companies and individuals connected to the event, including Apple Inc., which livestreamed the concert.
The final case to be settled involved the family of Ezra Blount, the youngest person killed during Astroworld
Jury selection for the trial was scheduled to begin on 10 September but an attorney for Blount’s family said a settlement was reached last week, according to AP. The other nine wrongful death lawsuits filed over Astroworld were settled earlier this month.
Terms of the settlements in all 10 lawsuits were confidential. Attorneys for Live Nation, Scott and others have declined to comment during the case because of a gag order that limits what they can say outside court.
So far, no lawsuit has gone before a jury but around 2,400 injury cases filed after the deadly concert remain pending. More than 4,000 plaintiffs filed hundreds of lawsuits after the Astroworld crowd crush.
Earlier this month, state District Judge Kristen Hawkins, who is presiding over the litigation, had scheduled the first trial, focusing on seven injury cases, for 15 October. It is not clear if that trial date will remain or be moved up with the settlement in the Blount lawsuit.
In June last year, a grand jury declined to indict Scott, nor anyone else associated with the festival.
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Nine-year-old boy becomes 10th Astroworld victim
A nine-year-old boy has become the 10th person to die from injuries sustained at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival.
Ezra Blount, from Dallas, who passed away yesterday (14 November), had been placed in a medically induced coma. He is the youngest victim of the 5 November tragedy in Houston, Texas.
“The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son,” said a statement from family lawyer Ben Crump. “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. We are committed to seeking answers and justice for the Blount family. But tonight we stand in solidarity with the family, in grief, and in prayer.”
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted his condolences.
More than 100 lawsuits have been filed on behalf of concert-goers
“I am saddened to learn of Ezra’s death this evening,” he said. “Our city tonight prays for his mom, dad, grandparents, other family members and classmates at this time. They will need all of our support in the months and years to come. May God give them strength.”
The news follows the death of 22-year-old Texas A&M University student Bharti Shahani last Wednesday (10 November), who became the ninth victim of the Astroworld crowd surge, five days on from the 50,000-capacity festival in NRG Park. All 10 victims were aged between nine and 27.
Criminal investigations are underway into the tragedy, while more than 100 lawsuits have been filed on behalf of concert-goers against Scott, promoter Live Nation and its Scoremore subsidiary, and other parties including Drake, who appeared as a special guest during Scott’s headline set.
In his first public statement since the incident, Live Nation chairman and CEO Michael Rapino wrote on Twitter that his “heart goes out” to all those affected.
“We are doing everything we can to get the families and fans the answers and support they deserve,” he said.
Crowded space expert Professor Chris Kemp spoke to IQ about concert safety last week.
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