Astroworld: Trial for final wrongful death lawsuit set for later this year

NME

The trial for Astroworld’s final wrongful death lawsuit has been officially set for later this year.

The suit concerns the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, in which 10 people were killed and hundreds more injured in a deadly crowd crush during Travis Scott‘s headline set.

Following the recent news that Scott and Live Nation have settled nearly all the wrongful death lawsuits, the date for the last lawsuit has now been set for trial in civil court in September, a judge ruled on Tuesday (May 14) (as per AP).

Jury selection will begin on September 10 for the lawsuit filed by the family of Ezra Blount, who was the youngest person killed at the concert at nine years old. Should the lawsuit go to trial, it will be the first civil case from the Astroworld tragedy to go before a jury.

Along with Scott and Live Nation, who organised the festival, Blount’s family is suing other companies and individuals who are connected to the event e.g. Apple Inc., who livestreamed the concert.

Scott West, one of the lawyers for the Blounts, also reportedly told the judge they planned to depose Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino before the trial. Live Nation’s attorneys have previously claimed that Rapino didn’t have any unique knowledge of the event, and have fought efforts to have Rapino questioned about the incident.

However, attorneys for the Blounts have alleged that the CEO was hands-on in booking Scott, and reportedly was sent an email hours after the concert saying “if 5 died we would cancel” the second day of the festival. The second day was later canceled.

Neal Manne, one of Live Nation’s attorneys, said he hoped an agreement could be reached in regards to Rapino’s deposition – however, he also reportedly said he might appeal the issue to the Texas Supreme Court.

The most recent lawsuit to be settled involved the wrongful death of 23-year-old Madison Dubiski; Noah Wexler, a lawyer for her family, confirmed during the court hearing that their case “is resolved in its entirety.”

Scott’s publicist Ted Anastasiou told AP: “Mr. Scott is grateful that a resolution has been reached without the need for a trial. The confidential agreement will honour Madison Dubiski’s legacy and promote improvements for concert safety.”

Back in February 2022, hundreds of Astroworld lawsuits were combined into one case.

Following the incident, Scott shared that he was “absolutely devastated” by the news. In November 2023, he opened up about the tragedy again, saying that he would “always think about it”.

Earlier in the month, it was revealed that Scott had been sued again over the Astroworld tragedy. It came after a grand jury decided that Scott would not face criminal charges.

More recently, it was revealed that Drake, who performed on the night, was seeking to be dismissed from the ongoing litigation over the crowd crush tragedy.

Drake was a surprise guest during the set at the Houston festival and was initially questioned for several hours in a deposition tied to hundreds of lawsuits filed in Harris County after the crowd rush.

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