Travis Scott is being sued by an injured fan over the Astroworld Tragedy. Eight people died and many more were injured in a crowd surge at the festival in Houston on Friday night (5 November) and Travis Scott is now facing legal action from injured concertgoer, Manuel Souza.
Souza has filed a petition in Harris County District Court against the rap star, over the “predictable and preventable” incident that took place as Travis was performing. Court documents show that Souza is seeking at least $1 000 000 in damages. He is also seeking a temporary restraining order in a bid to prevent any destruction of evidence.
The lawsuit – which also names Live Nation, organizer ScoreMore and Cactus Jack Records – reads: “Tragically, due to Defendants’ motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety, and due to their encouragement of violence, at least eight people lost their lives and scores of others were injured at what was supposed to be a night of fun.”
According to Souza, he suffered “serious bodily injuries when the uncontrolled crowd at the concert knocked him to the ground and trampled him”.
The lawsuit adds: “Plaintiff’s injuries were the inevitable and predictable result of Defendants’ conscious disregard of the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers that had been escalating since hours earlier.”
This is not the only lawsuit that has been filed as more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed and a criminal investigation was opened to investigate the apparent crowd surge at the Astroworld festival.
At least 14 civil lawsuits have been filed against promoter Live Nation Entertainment Inc or a subsidiary, Live Nation Worldwide Inc, according to court records. Of those, 10 name Scott — whose real name is Jacques Webster — as a defendant and one names Drake, a fellow rapper and guest performer.
The lawsuits generally say that Live Nation acted negligently by failing to create and enforce proper safety protocols, failing to provide adequate security and failing to maintain proper crowd control. The victims were crushed in a chaotic surge near the stage, with some trampled and others unable to breathe.
“Conditions were created and consented to by the festival organisers that caused several stampedes and a crowd compression that resulted in the tragic deaths of eight individuals and the serious injuries of hundreds more,” according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Houston resident Wasem Abulawi, who the suit says was “seriously and permanently injured”.
Houston police have opened a criminal investigation into the incident, and have said they will examine whether security plans were flawed or followed improperly. They are also probing reports that someone in the crowd injected a security guard with drugs.
The decision to file criminal charges could hinge on whether Scott or the organisers stepped in to stop the concert once they knew people were becoming injured or killed, Baker said. Under Texas law, reckless behaviour that causes someone’s death is considered manslaughter.
Sources: Times LIVE, Asia One
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