Travis Scott asks judge to toss one Astroworld civil lawsuit as dozens pile up, suing him for BILLIONS: Rapper claims he is NOT responsible for the chaos that left 10 people dead and injured hundreds
- Travis Scott asked a judge to dismiss a civil suit brought against him after 10 people died and hundreds were injured during his Astroworld performance
- Scott issued a ‘general denial’ Monday to the allegations in a suit filed by festival attendee Jessie Garcia against the rapper and several of his businesses
- Sources close to Scott say he plans to respond similarly to the dozens of other cases piling up against him
- One case alone, which represents 282 victims, is suing the star for $2 billion
- Scott’s latest filing comes just one week after a motion was filed to consolidate all the suits against him into one ‘multi-district litigation’
- Until Monday, it was unknown if Scott would take responsibility for the tragedy, but the motion for dismissal makes it apparent he is denying all liability
Travis Scott has asked a judge to dismiss at least one civil lawsuit brought against him after 10 people were killed and hundreds injured at his chaotic Astroworld concert last month.
The Sicko Mode rapper filed legal documents Monday requesting that a suit from festival attendee Jessie Garcia filed against him and several of his businesses be dismissed with prejudice.
Scott issued a ‘general denial’ to all the allegations in Garcia’s suit, TMZ reported.
Sources close to the star say he is planning to issue a similar response to the dozens of cases, worth billions of dollars, that have been filed against him in wake of the tragedy.
The move comes just one week after a motion was filed to consolidate the suits into one ‘multi-district litigation’. The court has yet to rule on that request.
Travis Scott is denying responsibility for the ten lives lost and hundreds injured during his performance at Astroworld Festival in Texas last month and has asked a judge to dismiss one of the lawsuits against him (Pictured: Scott performing at Astroworld on Nov. 5, 2021)
The Sicko Mode rapper filed legal documents Monday requesting that a suit from a festival attendee filed against him and several of his businesses be dismissed with prejudice (Pictured: Crowd pushing and shoving each other during Scott’s Astroworld performance)
Scott issued a ‘general denial’ to all the allegations in the suit. Sources close to the star say he is planning to issue a similar response to all 275 cases that were filed against him in wake of the tragedy (Pictured: Crowd surging at Astroworld Festival)
Scott’s Astrowrold Festival turned fatal on November 5 during his set when the crowd of 50,000 people surged, resulting in a panic.
Ten people were killed, ages ranging from nine to 27, and hundreds were injured; 300 people were treated at the site and 13 were hospitalized in connection with the incident.
Several lawsuits have been filed in the wake of Astroworld that name defendants as Scott, guest performer Drake, promoter Live Nation and individuals affiliated with Houston’s NRG Park and Scoremore Holdings.
One lawsuit alone, which was filed in mid-November, seeks $2billion on behalf of 282 victims.
‘The defendants stood to make an exorbitant amount of money off this event, and they still chose to cut corners, cut costs, and put attendees at risk,’ California attorney Thomas Henry in a news release, obtained by Bloomberg, announcing the suit.
‘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.’
Until Monday, it was unknown if Scott would take responsibility for the tragedy, but the motion for dismissal makes it apparent he is denying all liability.
Scott offered to cover funeral expenses for those who died. Several families, including those of Ezra Blount, 9, (left) and Mirza Baig, 27, (right) have declined the rapper’s compensation
Scott has expressed sadness over the tragedy, provided full refunds for all ticketholders and even offered to cover funeral expenses for those who died.
Several families of the deceased have turned down the headliner’s offer.
In fact, attorneys for the families of four of the victims said last Tuesday they received a letter from Daniel Petrocelli, one of Scott’s attorneys, in which the offer was made.
In a Nov. 24 letter sent to the family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount – the youngest person to die from injuries suffered at the concert – Petrocelli said Scott extended his ‘deepest sympathies and condolences’ to the boy’s father, Treston Blount, and had wanted to reach out personally ‘but does not wish to intrude on Mr. Blount’s privacy during his time of grieving.’
‘Travis is devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Astroworld Festival and grieves for the families whose loved ones died or were injured. Travis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community,’ Petrocelli wrote.
Treston Blount declined the offer through his attorney Robert Hilliard who said that while he believes Scott feels remorse, the rapper must see ‘that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy.’
Michael Lyons, an attorney for the family of 27-year-old Mirza ‘Danish’ Baig, said he viewed the offer to pay for funeral costs partly as a public relations ploy by Scott to ‘soften people up’ in the court of public opinion. The Baig family has also declined the rapper’s offer.
Families of several other victims have reacted similarly and refused Scott’s financial compensation.
Meanwhile, Scott has routinely reiterated that he was unaware of the chaos erupting in the the crowd that night and did not know that concertgoers were being seriously injured despite the fact that Houston Police Department declared a mass casualty situation at 9.40pm. Scott continued playing for another 40 minutes.
Ed McPherson, another one of Scott’s lawyers, said just days after the concert his team didn’t get the message, and that cops at the event seemed unaware of it too.
‘This obviously was a systemic breakdown that we really need to get to the bottom of before he start pointing fingers at anyone,’ McPherson said last month.
The rapper has expressed sadness over the tragedy and provided full refunds for all ticketholders (Pictured: Astroworld crowd listening to Scott perform)
Until Monday, it was unknown if Scott would take responsibility for the tragedy, but the motion for dismissal makes it apparent he is denying all liability. Scott and the event organizers are also the focus of a criminal investigation by Houston police
‘We’ve seen footage of police just walking about and not looking like it was a mass casualty event. Clearly, the important thing is that never got to Travis, never got to Travis’ crew. He is up there trying to perform. He does not have any ability to know what’s going on down below. Certainly on a mass level.
He continued: ‘Travis didn’t really understand the full effect of everything until the next morning. Truly, he did not know what was going on.
The day after the tragedy, Scott took to his own defense on his Instagram account (pictured)
‘He’s on a riser at one point, he sees one boy down and asks security to stop the show. You say an ambulance but it looked more like a golf cart with lights, he wasn’t sure what that was but he stopped the show for that.’
The day after the tragedy, Scott took to his own defense on his Instagram account.
‘My fans really mean the world to me and I always want to leave them with a positive experience,’ he said Nov. 6, in a video posted to his stories.
‘Anytime I can make out anything that’s going on, ya know, I stop the show and you know, help them get the help they need. I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.’
He continued: ‘I’m honestly just devastated… I could never imagine anything like this just happening.’
Scott and the event organizers are also the focus of a criminal investigation by Houston police.
Police have said they are reviewing surveillance video provided by concert promoter Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips of the show shared on social media. Investigators also planned to speak with Live Nation representatives, Scott and concertgoers.
No timetable has been set for when the investigation will be completed.
VICTIMS OF TRAVIS SCOTT’S ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL
Ten people died on Friday at Travis Scott’s music festival in Houston, Texas, with the victims ranging in age from 9 to 27.
John Hilgert, 14
John Hilgert, 14
John Hilgert, of Hunters Creek Village, was identified as one of the concert fatalities on Saturday by officials at Memorial High School, where he was a freshman student.
Hilgert attended Friday’s concert with his long-time friend Robby Hendrix, 15.
Henrdix’s mother, Tracy Faulkner, bought her son’s ticket for his birthday and ‘ultimately regrets the decision’.
‘Everything about that night was a tragedy,’ Faulkner told the Houston Chronicle. ‘They were both in the same place at the same time and one came home and one we will never see.’
She said Hilgret and Hendrix had known each other for years and played football together.
‘John was a good student and athlete and so polite. He was the sweetest and smartest young man,’ she shared.
Brianna Rodriguez, 16
Brianna Rodriguez, 16
Brianna Rodriguez was a dancer and junior in high school. On Saturday her family confirmed that she was one of the eight victims who died.
A GoFundMe account set up by her family described her as a ‘beautiful vibrant 16-year-old’.
‘Dancing was her passion and now she’s dancing her way to heaven’s pearly gates.’
Jacob Jurinek, 20
Jacob Jurinek attended the concert with his best friend Franco Patino when both were trampled to death. The pair grew up in the same Illinois town of Naperville.
A friend, going by the name Ana Lissa Marie, was distraught at the death of Jurinek, who was studying art and media at Southern Illinois University, and had traveled to Houston with Patino to celebrate Jurinek’s birthday.
‘I lost all my respect for Travis Scott,’ she tweeted.
‘What happened was absolutely disgusting. RIP to all the ones that lost their lives. To Jacob Jurinek, you will be missed kid. thank you for all the laughs.
‘My condolences go to all the families that lost lives.’
Other victims included University of Dayton student Franco Patino (right), 21, who was attending the event with his best friend, 20-year-old Jacob Jurinek, when both were trampled to death
Franco Patino, 21
The University of Dayton confirmed to DailyMail.com that student Franco Patino of Naperville, Illinois, attended the concert in Houston on Friday.
The mechanical engineering technology major was involved in several campus extracurriculars and had most recently been working in a co-op program in Mason, Ohio.
University president Eric F Spina extended his sympathy and prayers to Patino’s loved ones and the campus community.
Patino’s fraternity, Alpha Psi Lambda, also issued condolences to his friends and family.
‘It is with a very heavy heart, Alpha Psi Lambda National, Inc shares that our brother, Franco ‘Cuauhocelotl’ Patino, has passed on to Omega Chapter,’ the organization wrote on Facebook.
‘We extend our condolences to his family, friends, Alpha Nu Chapter and all that share in this loss. May his memory be eternal.’
The college senior joined the fraternity’s University of Dayton chapter last year.
Patino (left) and Jurinek grew up in the same Illinois town and were best friends
Axel Acosta, 21
Edgar Acosta on Monday held a press conference with Texas attorney Tony Buzbee to announce he was suing over the death of his son Axel Acosta, who had traveled from Washington to attend the festival – his first concert.
Axel Acosta, 21
‘They need to make things change in these type of events,’ he said.
‘Today it was me. I lost my son. It could’ve been you,’ Acosta said.
‘When you send your kid to have some fun, because somebody else is not providing the right… I don’t know I can explain. The right security.
‘Because it is not the first time that he has been in big events, right?
‘You can go to Disneyland and have fun. You can go to a baseball game and have fun. Because they have the right security, the right people, some people assisting those injured.
‘It’s hard to explain.’
Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Peña, 23
Peña, from Laredo, Texas, died of cardiac arrest after being injured at the show.
He was a medical assistant and criminal justice major with aspirations to become a model and dreamed of one day being a US Border Patrol agent.
‘What happened this past weekend is a direct result of what happens when the pursuit of financial gain and fame take precedence over protecting the lives of the innocent,’ said Almaraz Law Firm, representing the Peñas, in a statement.
‘It is a testament to the current state of live events and the greed that runs rampant in this industry.
‘Nobody should feel unsafe enjoying something they love, and unfortunately this is exactly what has transpired.
‘We vow to work diligently and responsibly to bring justice to the Peña family and to all afflicted, and we will not rest until these voices have been heard loud and clear.
‘We will hold responsible parties accountable and fight to ensure that something positive comes of this unmitigated disaster. Something must change. Something will change.’
Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Peña, 23
Madison Dubiski, 23
Madison Dubiski of Cypress, Texas, was the eighth and final victim to be identified on Monday.
The former Ole Miss student was yanked from her brother Ty, who tried to pull her to safety, in the surge and disappeared in the crowd.
Dubiski studied at the University of Mississippi between 2016 and 2017 and worked in advertising and marketing. She went to Cy-Fair High School, where she was a Varsity cheerleader and member of National Charity League, a community service organization for mothers and their daughters in middle and high school.
Friends said that her mother Michelle was her best friend and that she was very close with Ty, who graduated from Cy-Fair in 2019.
Madison Dubiski, 23
Danish Baig, 27
Basil Mirza Baig took to Facebook Saturday announcing that his brother, Danish Baig also died at Astroworld.
‘My brother was killed in this horrendous event that was managed poorly and supervised by such horrible people,’ Baig wrote.
‘People were trampled, walked and stomped on. My brother tried to save my sister-in-law from these horrendous acts that were being done to her in the process he lost his life.’
Baig described Danish as a beautiful soul who put everyone before himself.
‘Last night he showed his courageous act to save my sister-in-law from those horrendous things that were being done. I am lost of words and in true trauma from this event,’ he added.
‘I was there and I wasn’t able to save my brother. People were hitting pushing and shoving and did not care for anyone’s life.’
Baig also accused the rapper of provoking the chaos by ‘calling people to the stage to jump into the crowd’ and for ‘not stopping the show’.
‘This is not the end,’ Baig warned. ‘My family and I will go to the full extent to make sure he is brought to justice.’
Danish Baig, 27
Bharti Shahani, 22
Bharti Shahani, a senior at Texas A&M, died from injuries sustained at Astroworld
Shahani, a Texas A&M senior, was critically injured at Astroworld and was on a ventilator at Houston Methodist Hospital, where she was taken after the concert.
She was declared brain dead and was taken off the ventilator shortly thereafter. She was the ninth person to die from the crowd surge.
It was the first festival Shahani had ever attended, her family said.
Her family’s attorney, James Lassitier, said: ‘Bharti was a shining star in the community.’
‘She was a sister, a daughter, a high-achieving college student about to graduate from Texas A&M University with high, high grades.’
Ezra Blount, 9
Blount was the tenth – and youngest – person to die from injuries sustained at Astroworld Festival.
He had been trampled at the concert, placed in a medically induced coma and was on life support for a week before he succumbed to his injuries.
The young boy had spent the concert seated on the shoulders of his father, Treston Blount.
Treston passed out from lack of oxygen and, once we regained consciousness, was unable to locate his son.
By the time the father-son pair were reuntied, Blount had suffered swelling in his brain as well as ‘trauma in nearly all organs.’
Ezra Blount (right) and his father, Treston Blount (left), are pictured at Astroworld
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