Travis Scott is currently in the midst of being sued by numerous individuals and groups. Overall, this is due to the tragic deaths and injuries that took place at the Astrworld Festival back in 2021. Ten people lost their lives during that show, and there are now hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. As we reported earlier this week, Scott was deposed for about eight hours on Monday. During this session, he cooperated with lawyers and offered as much information as he could pertaining to that concert.
According to Rolling Stone, some interesting details are now being brought to light pertaining to the deposition. At one point, Scott was asked to provide his cell phone. The plaintiffs wanted access to the phone so that they could check the records for anything relevant. However, there was just one major issue with that. As per Scott’s attorney, the phone had fallen off a boat. The location? The bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 21: Travis Scott performs during Lollapalooza Festival at Hippodrome de Longchamp on July 21, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Wolff – Patrick/Getty Images)
This, of course, is very inconvenient for those who are trying to get details on the case. Moreover, plaintiffs feel like this is a bit odd considering Scott’s legal team had previously said “no” to turning over the phone. The reasoning behind this was “seeking the disclosure of documents that are unreasonably cumulative or duplicative of other of the requests.” The phone is pretty well unrecoverable, and there is nothing the plaintiffs or Travis can really do about it.
Overall, this is a wild piece of the story that is going viral right now. Many are wondering how this will now affect the case, moving forward. This is a developing story, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates. Moreover, let us know what you think of this, in the comments section below.
Two sources told the publisher that the deposition lasted nearly eight hours. In a statement shared with the outlet, Scott’s spokesperson, Ted Anastasiou, addressed the matter.
“Travis Scott’s deposition is typical legal procedure,” said Anastasiou. “What is not typical is how the media continues to focus on him despite being cleared of any wrongdoing by extensive government investigations, including by the Houston Police Department. Travis is fully cooperating with the legal process while still remaining committed to his tour in support of his record-breaking album, Utopia, and his charitable efforts to support at-risk communities.”
The tragic incident, which supposedly led to thousands of injuries and nearly a dozen deaths, sparked an investigation by Congress to ensure public safety at future large-scale music events. Several families have quietly reached a settlement with Scott and the event’s promoter, Live Nation. However, Billboard revealed that there could still be upwards of 1,500 remaining active cases.
The first trial of the lawsuits is scheduled for May 6, 2024.
Travis Scott and Live Nation have settled another lawsuit following the 2021 tragedy at Astroworld Festival. The Utopia rapper, Live Nation, Scoremore, a number of security companies, and festival organizers faced a lawsuit from the family of 14-year-old John Hilgert, who died during the crowd surge. However, the family withdrew the lawsuit in February, and according to Pitchfork, Scott and Live Nation have settled the case with them. It’s another step forward for Scott, who has continued to face scrutiny throughout the rollout of Utopia.
Hilgert’s family marked the third party to reach an agreement in their lawsuit over the deadly Astroworld Festival crush at NRG Park on Nov. 6th, 2021. The incident led to 10 deaths and thousands of injuries of concertgoers, many of which claim that authorities didn’t do much to prevent such an incident from occurring. Prior to Hilgert, the families of Axel Acosta and Brianna Rodriguez also settled their lawsuits against Travis Scott, Live Nation, and other parties involved with the concerts.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 05: Travis Scott performs during 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 05, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage)
The announcement of the Hilgert family’s settlement comes a week after Houston PD released a 1266 page report on the tragedy that occurred a year and a half ago. The report included interviews with Travis Scott and Drake, who were both on stage at the time of the crowd crush. Scott, specifically, stated that he was told “you got to wrap it up, it’s getting kinda hectic out there” in his earpiece, although he wasn’t aware of how severe the situation was until later that evening.
In July, a Harris County grand jury concluded that Travis Scott wouldn’t face charges related to the Astroworld Festival tragedy. Besides that, Scott’s continuing to push the release of Utopia, which is on pace to have one of the biggest opening sales weeks of 2023. The rapper’s latest project boasts appearances from Drake, Beyonce, Future, and plenty of others, along with production from The Alchemist, Wondagurl, BNYX, and Scott, himself. Check out our review of Utopia here.
With the release of his new album, Utopia, Scott attempted to temporarily put the pending case behind him. However, one song references the incident, which has reopen the devastating wounds for one of the Astroworld victim’s family. According to TMZ, lawyer Bob Hilliard, representing the family of the late Ezra Blount called out Scott for being insensitive.
“For an artist making his living with music, these are stunningly tone-deaf comments about this preventable tragedy that took so many lives and injured so many,” Blount told the outlet.
The stanza in question appears in Scott’s song “My Eyes,” where Scott rapped, “I replay them nights, and right by my side, all I see is a sea of people that ride with me / If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child.”
Blount’s family believes the line is an attempt by Scott to reframe the public’s view of him. In December 2021, Scott sat down for an interview with Charlamagne Tha God to discuss the tragedy. “I went through something, and I feel like fans went through something, and people’s parents went through something, and it really hurts,” he said. “It hurts the community. It hurts the city. There’s been a lot of thoughts, a lot of feelings, a lot of grieving, and just trying to wrap my head around it.”
Since then, Scott hasn’t released any other public statement related to the 2021 Astroworld Festival.
Travis Scott and the organizers of the Astroworld Festival will not face criminal charges over the deadly crowd rush that occurred during the event in November 2021. A grand jury in Houston reached this decision, concluding that there was insufficient evidence of criminal conduct by Scott, the festival manager, and others involved. While this outcome […]
Travis Scott won’t face criminal charges as a result of the 2021 Astroworld tragedy after a Texas grand jury declined to indict him for the events that led to 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries, according to the Associated Press. AP cites Travis’ lawyer Kent Schaffer, who said that he wasn’t sure what criminal charges were being considered, but was adamant that Travis did nothing that could have prompted the crowd surge that led to the slew of injuries.
While calling the decision a “great relief,” Schaffer said, “He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt… Travis is not responsible. Bringing criminal charges against him will not ease their” — meaning the victims and their families, many of whom believe the rapper should be held liable, as his name was on the festival flyer and the injuries occurred during his headlining set. Travis and promoter Live Nation are being sued in hundreds of cases that were ultimately combined to be tried as one case.
An official investigation by police and federal officials was held to determine if Live Nation and Travis had been criminally negligent in the safety measures in place at the festival. For his part, Travis maintains that he did not have any idea anything was wrong — which is why he continued performing for nearly 30 minutes. Victims’ families have cited him encouraging dangerous behavior at past shows as a sign that he should be held responsible anyway.
Reuters reports that today (June 29), a grand jury in Houston is meeting about bringing criminal charges against Scott. Kent Schaffer, Scott’s lawyer, confirmed the news and noted it was unclear if the jury’s decision would arrive today. Schaffer attested, though, “Nothing Travis did or failed to do fits within the Texas criminal code.”
As Reuters notes, “Prosecutors will present evidence to grand jurors and ask them whether there is probable cause to support criminal charges. The proceeding does not necessarily mean any charges will be filed.”
The impact of the crowd crush was wide-ranging: A court filing from last year revealed that there were nearly 5,000 claims of injuries stemming from the incident. Overall, the crowd crush resulted in 10 documented deaths. One woman trapped in the crowd crush also claimed it caused her to have a miscarriage.
Back in 2021, a crowd at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Texas turned deadly as multiple people were crushed. At the end of the panic, 10 people died, and thousands of people were injured. Now, a Texas grand jury is meeting today to determine if Scott is subject to criminal charges for the incident. The Houston native and his attorney, Kent Schaffer, are unsure if the jury will issue anything specifically today. The DA’s office in Harris County has yet to comment on the matter.
Schaffer is confident that Travis Scott is not liable for this unfortunate situation, saying, “Nothing Travis did or failed to do fits within the Texas criminal code.” Prosecutors, on the other hand, will present evidence today that’s in direct opposition to that statement. In 2021, Astroworld Houston saw an overcrowded group of Scott fans swell toward the stage when he came on. Because of this, ten people died due to compressive asphyxiation. Essentially, the crowd crushed certain people, and those people could not breathe, effectively killing them.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 22: Travis Scott attends the “The Idol” red carpet during the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 22, 2023, in Cannes, France. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Prosecutors claim Scott, festival organizers, and Live Nation (a Ticketmaster affiliate) allowed too many people to enter the venue. This was in disregard to the risks of overcrowding. Plaintiffs argue that Scott and the organizers wanted to give the appearance of a packed concert. Over 4900 fans faced injuries after the mass crushing. The Texas grand jury consolidated all of the lawsuits stemming from this tragic situation in a process called multidistrict litigation. That way, whatever the ruling is, that ruling will transfer to all other similar cases.
The attorneys representing the bereaved families are looking for “criminal and civil accountability” so that Travis Scott and others in charge of the Astroworld Festival know and feel the permanent damage caused. In the meantime, Scott is working on his next album. He is about to drop UTOPIA on the world, taking out billboard ads and updating his website in time for the launch. Despite the unfortunate events of Astroworld 2021 in Houston, fans are still clamoring for new Travis Scott music.
In November 2021, 50,000 fans packed into NRG Park for Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival. The festival was initially intended to be broken up into two crowds. However, all of the fans came together for the main act. Earlier in the days, the likes of Don Toliver and SZA performed. Fans enjoyed the day, and things moved with ease. However, things took a turn during Travis Scott’s set.
It’s been nearly a year and a half since Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival tragedy. Eight people died during the night of the concert. In addition, two more passed away in the hospital over the following days, and hundreds more sustained injuries. With Scott being a Houston native, his hometown concert would always be a hectic affair. The cause of the tragic deaths was related to a mass rush toward the front of the stage, resulting in hostile and claustrophobic conditions.
Astroworld: A Deadly Scene
HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 05: Travis Scott performs during 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 05, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage)
While watching multiple videos online, droves of audience members can be seen making desperate attempts to stop the show. Groups of screaming fans vaulted onto the stage to plead with workers to speak to Travis Scott. There were clear and repeated attempts to prevent the tragedies which took place. Amid multiple 911 dials, ambulances began to make their way into the crowd. However, the show largely continued during these occurrences.
There’s been a constant debate about the level of responsibility that should be levied on Scott. After Astroworld, he indicated that he wasn’t at fault for the tragedy. He stated, “Any time I could make out, you know, anything that’s going on, I just stopped my show and, you know, helped them get the help they need.” In fact, it’s not the first time Scott has been accused of doing a poor job of controlling his crowd. Stemming from an incident at Lollapalooza 2015, he was sentenced to a year of court supervision after pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges. Chicago officials stated that he had encouraged fans to vault security barricades.
Undergoing Criticism
This isn’t to say that Scott made no attempts to calm the crowd. Between 9:20 pm and 9:45 pm, he stopped the show three times to check in with the audience. Each of these times, he made brief statements such as, “Let’s stick together to make sure we’re all okay.” Scott’s lawyer has argued that his client had no idea about the extent of what was going on in the crowd. By 10:15 pm, Scott had abruptly ended the show. However, the Houston Chronicle reported that he continued to perform for 37 minutes after the festival had already been declared a mass casualty event.
Scott has also been heavily criticized for how he’s responded to the event. Whether it be deflecting blame or not directly addressing the situation, he’s kept his responses brief and hazy. With over 40 civil lawsuits being aimed at Scott, there’s no doubt that his lawyers have advised him not to speak too much. Mostly, he’s seemingly left the situation to his representatives. In his first interview since the tragedy with Charlamagne the God, the two spoke for an hour. Scott repeatedly stated, “We need to figure this out” or “Gather all of the details.” Fans responded to this interview with the understandable sentiment that these comments were coming far too late.
The Shift In Festival Culture
. (Photo by Thomas Shea / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS SHEA/AFP via Getty Images)
Labeled a mass casualty event, the Astroworld Festival has changed the landscape of concerts forever. Artists now worry about checking in on their audiences throughout large-scale shows. In retrospect, it feels as if the terrible occurrences at the Astroworld Festival were something that had been brewing in the trap scene. Mosh-pits had taken over concerts, with artists often doing little to address news of people passing out in the crowd. There was an existing culture of ignorance regarding artists maturely controlling crowds.
In addition, crowd members have become more conscious of the people around them since the incident. Undoubtedly, the hoards of lawsuits levied against Scott have delayed his highly anticipated album, Utopia. Only a few of these lawsuits have been settled, with Scott reaching an agreement with the families. However, there remains a cloud of doubt surrounding his future. While he’s undeniably shied away from the spotlight since the incident, he’s begun to return to performing. That said, it’s questionable if Scott can ever host his own festival again.
