Lawsuits continue to mount against Travis Scott, Live Nation following Astroworld festival tragedy

The number of lawsuits naming Travis Scott and concert promoter Live Nation following last week’s fatal crowd-crush incident at Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas has continued to grow.

Eight people died and hundreds were reportedly injured during Scott’s headlining set at venue NRG Park last Friday (November 5), when the audience began to compress towards the front of the stage, causing injuries, shortness of breath and, for some, cardiac arrest.

It was reported yesterday (November 8) that three lawsuits had been filed against Scott and festival organisers Live Nation in relation to the event, with one also naming Drake – who appeared onstage with Scott at one point – as a co-defendant.

The number of lawsuits has since reportedly continued to swell, with Rolling Stone reporting that 19 had been filed by yesterday afternoon (November 8) in Texas’ Harris Country District Court. Of those, all reportedly named Live Nation and most named Scott.

Patrick Stennis is suing Live Nation, Scott, his record label Cactus Jack along with the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation. Stennis is claiming he was “trampled, crushed and lost consciousness” during Scott’s set, and has been left with “physical pain, mental anguish and disability”, according to Rolling Stone, resulting in medical bills and lost wages.

Astroworld attendee Cristian Guzman has also filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and NRG Park seeking a jury trial and more than $1million in damages. In his filing, Guzman alleges the promoters and other defendants failed to “prevent a stampede from occurring” by inadequately controlling the crowd and providing insufficient medical equipment.

Guzman’s lawyers are also petitioning for a restraining order to be placed on Live Nation which would prevent them from “damaging, modifying, altering, selling or disposing of any evidence of negligence at NRG Park” during the festival.

In a statement provided to ABC News, Live Nation said it was cooperating with authorities and will “address all legal matters at the appropriate time”.

“We continue to support and assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve, and we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time,” Live Nation said.

Rolling Stone reports that another attorney, Sean A. Roberts, has filed lawsuits against Live Nation and Scott on behalf of at least 10 people who attended Astroworld. One of the plaintiffs, Natasha Celedon, claims she was “seriously and permanently injured by the recklessness and conscious indifference of the defendants”.

On Monday, attorney Alex Hilliard told Rolling Stone his firm was close to filing complaints for “10 to 15” plaintiffs against Live Nation, and expected they would represent “hundreds, if not thousands” of other attendees by the end of the week.

Hilliard’s firm had already filed two negligence lawsuits against Live Nation and Texas event producers ScoreMore on behalf of concert attendees Noah Gutierrez and Ilhan Mohamud, who are each seeking $1million in damages. Scott was not named in either suit, but according to Hilliard, the rapper “may be” added to the list of defendants as “the facts reveal themselves”.

Festival attendee Manuel Souza was reportedly the first to file a petition against festival organisers, seeking $1million in damages after he allegedly sustained “serious bodily injuries when the uncontrolled crowd at the concert knocked him to the ground and trampled him”. Souza claimed that the incident was a result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety”.

A suit was also previously filed by Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry on behalf of Astroworld attendee Kristian Paredes, who is seeking $1million in damages from Live Nation, Scott and also Drake, who appeared onstage with Scott during his set.

In his lawsuit, Paredes claims he was “severely injured” in the “stampede” that took place in the crowd. He alleges that Drake “helped incite the crowd” to a point that was “out of control” when onstage with Scott.

Drake has yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit, but has since issued a statement on the events at Astroworld. “My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram. “I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can.”

In the days following the festival, Scott took to social media to make two separate statements: a brief, written one on Twitter and a longer video posted to Instagram. In the first, the rapper said he was “absolutely devastated” and that he was “committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need”.

In the second, Scott said he could “never imagine the severity of the situation” and said said that he always wants to “leave [his fans] with a positive experience”. “Anytime I can make out what’s going on, I stop the show and help them get the help they need,” he said.

Yesterday, Scott announced that he would pay for the funeral costs of victims of the incident, as well as cover online therapy costs for those in need.

A press release issued at the time said Scott was “in active conversations with the city of Houston, law enforcement and local first responders to respectfully and appropriately connect with the individuals and families of those involved.

“These are the first of many steps Travis plans on taking as a part of his personal vow to assist those affected throughout their grieving and recovery process.”

Live Nation and ScoreMore have also announced they are developing a fund to cover the medical bills of the festival’s attendees and provide mental health counselling resources.