A new lawsuit filed on behalf of 282 Astroworld attendees seeks $2 billion in damages from Travis Scott and Drake, who joined Scott onstage during his set, as well as corporations involved in the festival.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday (18 November) by San Antonio-based attorney Thomas J. Henry. It names Scott and Drake as defendants, with Apple Music, Live Nation and Houston’s NRG Stadium also listed.
“The defendants stood to make an exorbitant amount of money off of this event, and they still chose to cut corners, cut costs, and put attendees at risk,” Henry said in a statement.
“My clients want to ensure the defendants are held responsible for their actions, and they want to send the message to all performers, event organizers, and promoters that what happened at Astroworld cannot happen again.”
Earlier this week, a nine-year-old boy died from injuries sustained at the Houston festival on 5 November, raising the death toll to 10. Hundreds more were also injured at the event following a crowd surge during Scott’s headline performance.
In an interview with Hollywood Life, Henry claimed his clients ranged in age from teenagers to 40. Henry also discussed the “severe physical injuries” many of his clients allegedly suffered as a result of the tragedy, including heart attacks, brain injuries, spinal injuries and broken bones.
“Those who were injured are still very traumatised because they had to step over dead bodies,” said Henry. “They didn’t have a choice because there was nowhere to move. These people were trapped. The crushing effect was so heavy and so hard. They couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t get out.”
As CNN reports, citing Harris County District Court records, over 140 lawsuits have been filed in the wake of the tragedy. Earlier this week, another Texan attorney filed suit against Scott, Drake, Live Nation, Epic Records and Apple Music, among others. The lawsuit was filed by Tony Buzbee on behalf of 125 attendees, including 21-year-old Axel Acosta Avila, who was killed.
Drake issued his first public statement the following day (9 November). Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “I’ve spent the past few days trying to wrap my mind around this devastating tragedy.”
He added: “My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering. I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can”.
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Scott has also issued statements following the tragedy. He broke his silence on 6 November with a written statement posted to his Twitter account. In it, Scott said his “prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened”. The rapper also addressed the disaster in a video posted to Instagram, in which he said he was “working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time”.
Scott has said that he’ll refund tickets to all Astroworld attendees, cover funeral costs for those who died, and offer free mental health support for those affected by the event.