⛔Travis Scott Faces Lawsuit Barrage

Rapper Travis Scott and organizers of the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas, now face at least 16 lawsuits following the death of 8 festival-goers and the hospitalization of 25 others during the November 5 event. 

The suits against Live Nation Inc, ScoreMore, and other organizers of the festival claim that the situation was preventable and that gross negligence led to the tragedies. Additionally, the Houston Police and Fire departments have opened a criminal investigation on the matter. "The crime would have to be gross negligence rising to the level of criminal misconduct, and that is an extremely high bar,” Steven Adelman of Event Safety Alliance told the New York Times.

• Some plaintiffs have referenced a similarly unruly crowd and a lack of security during the 2019 Astroworld Festival as "evidence of the alleged negligence of Live Nation, Scott, and others in planning the event," according to Law360.

• Others are asking why, after police officials had declared the concert a "mass casualty event", Scott continued to perform for another 40 minutes. 

A Cozy Relationship

The New York Times also reports that efforts to investigate Travis Scott for criminal negligence are complicated by his relationships with city officials. Scott knows the Houston Police Chief and has a key to the city, while Scott's mother participated in a turkey giveaway event with Houston's mayor.

The Verdict

Live Nation is refunding the tickets of all attendees, and Scott has offered to cover the funeral costs of those who were killed at the festival. The tragedy will forever be a stain on Scott's career, however, it is unlikely he or Astroworld's organizers will be found criminally negligent.