Dozens of people who attended the deadly Astroworld Festival in Houston are suing rapper Travis Scott and other organizers for a total demand of $750 million in compensation.
The BBC has collated all the current lawsuits to arrive at the total with more expected in the coming days.
The news outlet reports papers filed in the U.S. also name festival promoters Live Nation; technology giant Apple, which streamed the concert; Scott’s record labels Epic and Cactus Jack; the operators of Houston’s NRG Park venue; and firms who provided security and medical services.
The family of Axel Acosta, 21, one of the victims, are among those seeking legal redress, arguing Scott and guest star Drake kept performing despite accounts of “lifeless bodies being passed through the crowd in full view of the stage”.
Scott has said he was not aware of the deadly chaos that lead to the tragedy until coming off stage.
Among the eight dead at the Travis Scott 'Astroworld' concert are a 14-year-old high school student and a 16-year-old girl. https://t.co/cLGUizpIzy
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) November 8, 2021
UPI reports among other lawsuits filed in Harris County state court is one on behalf of 35-year-old Houston resident Manuel Souza, whose lawyers claimed he suffered “serious bodily injuries when the uncontrolled crowd at the concert knocked him to the ground and trampled him.”
The suit, which names Scott, concert promoter Scoremore LLC, Live Nation Entertainment and others as defendants, claims the deaths and injuries at NRG Park in Houston were “a horrible — yet predictable and preventable — tragedy.”
At least 34 Astroworld Festival attendees have reportedly sued or announced plans to sue in Harris County, including 27 clients represented by attorneys Tony Buzbee and Sean Roberts, The Houston Chronicle reported.
Victim, Uniqua Smith, a 34-year-old mother of 14-year-old twins stands next to her lawyer Ben Crump during a press conference on November 12, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Attorney Crump announced the filing on Friday of dozens more lawsuits on behalf of people who attended the disastrous Travis Scott concert, including a woman who said she didn’t know she was buying a “death ticket.” (CECILE CLOCHERET/AFP via Getty Images)
Harris County Judge Lina Hildago has called for an “objective, independent” investigation of the rap festival, which was attended by about 50,000 people.
The Houston Police Department is one of multiple law enforcement agencies investigating the deaths. They are expected to focus on the design of the security barriers at the show, among other issues.
The death toll from rapper Travis Scott’s November 5 performance at Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Texas, rose to 10 earlier this week after a 9-year-old boy who was trampled at the event died from his injuries, as Breitbart News reported.
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