Nine of 10 Astroworld wrongful death cases settled
Nine of the 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed over the Astroworld disaster have 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.
As per AP, Neal Manne, a lawyer for the festival’s promoter Live Nation told a court hearing yesterday (8 May) that only one wrongful death lawsuit filed in relation to the tragedy remained pending, with the settled suits including one filed by family of 23-year-old Madison Dubiski.
That trial had been due to start this past Monday (6 May), but was delayed due to a battle over whether Apple Inc., which filmed Scott’s Astroworld performance for an exclusive livestream, should be involved in the case.
Attorney Noah Wexler, who represented Dubiski’s family, confirmed during the court hearing that their case “is resolved in its entirety”. Terms of the settlement, which has been reached with all defendants including Live Nation, Scott and Apple, have not been disclosed.
“The confidential agreement will honour Madison Dubiski’s legacy and promote improvements for concert safety”
“Mr Scott is grateful that a resolution has been reached without the need for a trial,” says Ted Anastasiou, a representative for the rapper. “The confidential agreement will honour Madison Dubiski’s legacy and promote improvements for concert safety.”
The remaining pending lawsuit relates to nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the disaster’s youngest victim. Scott West, an attorney for Blount’s family, told the court the case was ready for trial, but Manne said lawyers for other defendants being sued were not ready.
State district judge Kristen Hawkins plans to discuss the Blount case at a hearing next week along with potential trials related to the thousands of injury cases filed over Astroworld, of which around 2,400 are still pending. Hawkins added that if the family’s lawsuit is not settled, she is leaning towards scheduling that as the next trial instead of an injury case.
In June last year, a grand jury declined to indict Scott, nor anyone else associated with the festival.
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Astroworld injury claims exceed 4,900
Almost 5,000 people have claimed they were injured in last November’s Astroworld tragedy, according to a new court filing.
Ten concertgoers, aged between nine and 27, were killed after a crowd surge during co-founder Travis Scott’s headline set at the 50,000-cap festival in Houston, Texas, promoted by Live Nation and its Scoremore subsidiary. All of those who died suffered from compression asphyxia.
Now, Rolling Stone reports that attorneys Jason Itkin, Richard Mithoff and Sean Roberts, who are acting as “plaintiffs’ liaison counsel”, have tied 732 claims to injuries that required extensive medical treatment, 1,649 to less extensive treatment, and 2,540 for injuries where the severity is still under review.
Earlier this year, the go-ahead was given for hundreds of Astroworld lawsuits to be formally consolidated into a single case . Lawsuits were filed against Scott and promoters Live Nation and Scoremore, along with other parties, 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”.
Scott performed for the first time in public since Astroworld at the weekend
The Texas Judicial Panel On Multidistrict Litigation ruled that 387 suits, representing almost 2,800 alleged victims, could move forward as one case.
The accused parties have denied all allegations against them relating to the 5 November 2021 disaster.
Last month, the Texas Task Force on Concert Safety (TFCS) made a series of recommendations on how to improve concert safety and help avoid a repeat of the tragedy, including the creation of a centralised Event Production Guide – outlining and encouraging best-practice for event design and crowd control.
“While some level of risk is inherent in any mass gathering, it is the opinion of the TFCS that proper planning will allow Texans to enjoy safe performances, concerts, and other culturally significant events,” it said.
Scott took to the stage at a Miami nightclub at the weekend to give his first public live performance since Astroworld.
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