A Texas judge denied Travis Scott’s motion to be dismissed from lawsuits over the Astroworld tragedy. According to Billboard, Judge Kristen Hawkins provided no written explanation for her rejection of the motion.
Judge Hawkins previously dismissed Drake and others from the Astroworld litigation. The judge removed two more defendants, Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group and Unified Command LLC, less than two weeks before the first trial.
Scott’s lawyers filed a motion for dismissal in March. His legal team claimed he was not responsible for the chaos at the 2021 Astroworld Festival, which left 10 people dead and hundreds injured.
“No one disputes that tragedy struck the Astroworld Festival,” his attorneys argued. “But promoting and performing at a concert do not equate to the power to control a crowd or to design a venue safely. Basic tort principles prevent imposing liability on the Scott Defendants for a tragedy arising from forces legally controlled by others.”
They added, “Performing artists, even those who engage in certain promotional activities, have no inherent expertise or specialized knowledge in concert safety measures, venue security protocols or site design.”
Scott’s legal team failed to convince the judge, leaving him on the hook for civil litigation. Live Nation and Apple Music were among the notable defendants remaining in the Astroworld cases.
The first trial is scheduled to begin on May 6. Scott and his co-defendants will defend themselves against wrongful death claims filed by the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old woman who died at the Astroworld Festival. Noah Wexler, the attorney representing the victim’s family, said Scott had a “conscious disregard for safety.”
Dubiski’s family was one of multiple plaintiffs suing Scott for his role in the Astroworld tragedy. The Epic Records artist avoided criminal charges for the deadly event. A grand jury declined to indict him in 2023.
