Following the tragedy that took place at Astroworld Festival earlier this month, many seem to be divided on exactly whose to blame for the fatalities and injuries that took place during a crowd surge. Founder Travis Scott has been facing plenty of heat, and according to Yahoo! Finance, the lawsuit total has now risen to over 300, amassing a $3 million total.
A recent lawsuit from a group of attendees targeting the “ESCAPE PLAN” rapper, Live Nation, and Apple, looking to sue the parties for $2 billion says, “The resulting catastrophic incident and carnage were easily foreseeable and preventable had the Defendants acted in a reasonably prudent manner in planning a large-scale festival like Astroworld.”
Despite this, lawyers still have their doubts as to whether or not Scott will be held financially liable for the 10 fatalities that occurred. “I think it'd be a stretch to put this on [Travis Scott]," Brutzkus Gunner Rozansky Seror Weber attorney, Nick Rozansky told Yahoo! Finance.
Another knowledgeable subject, Bryan Sullivan, also gave his take on the matter, sharing that “hypothetically an artist can be held potentially liable,” although that doesn’t seem to be the case here. “You can be a very violent person in an area where there was a fight, but not have thrown a punch," he said, explaining that Scott would’ve had to incite violence through direct action – his reputation, lyrics, past behaviour, and legal troubles are “not enough to hold up in court.”
“The law requires him to engage in specific conduct that incited the incidents...What did he do at Astroworld that night? That's the question the courts will be asking," Sullivan told the outlet, adding that the rapper “likely will be dismissed from the case,” barring any damning allegations, of course.
According to Rozansky, the financial liabilities will probably become the responsibility of security companies and event promoters, although there could be more “finger pointing” in the case. “It's not uncommon for all of the defendants to start suing each other for identity and contribution if they are found liable,” the attorney explained.
Do you think that Travis Scott being held financially liable is “a stretch,” or should the rapper have to pay at least some of the damages?
[Via]