In recent developments, it has been reported that almost all wrongful death lawsuits tied to the infamous 2021 Astroworld music festival’s deadly crowd surge incident have found resolution. Eight additional lawsuits have been settled, leaving only one case still standing. This news comes from a courtroom revelation made on Wednesday by an attorney representing Live Nation, the event’s promoter. In total, ten wrongful death lawsuits were filed after the tragic event, which resulted in the death of ten festival-goers.
These sensational declarations came at the start of a week meant to usher in the high-stakes jury selection pertaining to the lawsuit put forth by Madison Dubiski’s family. The 23-year-old Houston-native and concert enthusiast lost her life in the harrowing crowd surge during the Travis Scott performance on November 5, 2021. However, instead of proceeding with the planned litigation, Neal Manne announced on behalf of Live Nation that the case had been settled, alongside eight other pending wrongful death lawsuits.
A note of congruity was also expressed by Noah Wexler, an attorney representing Dubiski’s family, who confirmed during the hearing that the case was “resolved in its entirety.” The specific terms of the settlements have been kept under wraps, with legal counselors veering away from comments due to a court-ordered gag order wrapped around the case.
Travis Scott, the rap superstar in the center of the tumult, expressed gratitude for reaching a resolution sans trial, through his representative, Ted Anastasiou. The confidential agreement, he said, would pay fitting tribute to Madison Dubiski’s memory while fostering improvements in concert safety protocols.
The Dubiski family’s poignant reaction to their daughter’s untimely death was the establishment of Pink Bows, a foundation dedicated to enhancing safety protocols at outdoor concerts and similar events.
Standing out from the herd of settlements is the wrongful death lawsuit spearheaded by the family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest life claimed during the concert. Legal representatives of the Blount family are set to discuss trial schedules next week.
This lone lawsuit is “ready for trial,” declared Scott West, the attorney for Blount’s family, revealing an unhappy contrast with other defendants’ lawyers who expressed their unreadiness to proceed. State District Judge Kristen Hawkins hinted at a predisposition to arrange this as the next trial if a settlement is not reached, potentially taking precedence over an injury case.
Over 4,000 plaintiffs have initiated hundreds of lawsuits in the aftermath of the concert, with approximately 2,400 injury cases still awaiting resolution.
Last week, proceedings in Dubiski’s case were halted as tech giant Apple, a defendant in the case for streaming the concert in question, appealed against a court ruling that dismissed their request for exclusion from the lawsuit. Following a granted stay in the case, the attorneys for Dubiski’s family reached a settlement with all the involved defendants, including Apple and Live Nation, the concert industry titan.
Lawyers on both sides have not stayed silent on the negligence allegations surrounding overcrowding and lack of safety precautions at the concert venue. The victims ranged in age from 9 to 27 and succumbed to compression asphyxia, which has been likened to being crushed by a car by an expert.
The remaining defendants, including Scott, Live Nation, and others have vehemently rejected the claims, asserting their firm focus on ensuring safety at the event and maintaining that the tragic incident was unforeseeable.
Following an extensive police investigation, a grand jury last year exonerated Scott and five others associated with the festival of any criminal liability, further adding to the flurry of divisive opinions surrounding this case.
