In their first responses to the flurry of lawsuits filed in the wake of last month’s tragedy at Astroworld, Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Scoremore, Houston’s Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation (HCSC) and Travis Scott have all denied any responsibility for what happened in Houston. Scott’s representatives have also moved to have lawsuits naming the rapper dismissed with prejudice – which would mean they could not be brought back to court if the judge agrees.
Scores of lawsuits have been filed in the month since Astroworld, which saw packed conditions lead to a deadly “surge” in the crowd, killing ten and injuring hundreds more. The event was halted once the extent of the mass casualty event was realized, and its second day was cancelled entirely. Scott, promoter Live Nation and its Scoremore subsidiary, Drake (on stage along with Scott that night), and Houston entities involved with the management of NRG Park have all been targeted in the lawsuits, which allege gross negligence that led to the tragedy. One such lawsuit is seeking $750 million in damages, with another bringing Apple into the fray and seeking $2 billion.
According to TMZ, Scott’s legal representation has issued a “general denial” of all claims involving him, his company – Jack Enterprises – and his label/foundation – Cactus Jack. This means that his strategy is to deny all claims naming him as responsible for what happened in Texas in one move, though that may be moot if all of the litigation is combined into a single action overseen by a single judge, as has been proposed. Chuck D of Public Enemy recently wrote an open letter slamming Live Nation for allowing Scott to bear much of the blame in the wake of the tragedy rather than openly accept its responsibility for alleged security lapses that led to the crowded conditions.
Rolling Stone reported that the other corporate defendants including Live Nation and Scoremore have denied all allegations against them in the lawsuits, as have the HCSC. Houston authorities are still investigating the cause of the deadly conditions at the concert, with Live Nation’s long history of security lapses and fan injuries at events it has promoted taking heavy scrutiny in the wake of the tragedy.
Live Nation Entertainment hired Houston’s Susman Godfrey law firm to lead its defense amid the legal storm, with Scott represented by Daniel Petrocelli, who is head of the litigation team for the firm of O’Melveny and Myers. Scott also has hired Houston criminal defense attorney Kent Schaffer. ASM Global, which manages the NRG Stadium venue for the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, has hired Norton Rose Fulbright.
