In March, Travis Scott’s attorneys moved to be dismissed from pending liability litigation over the 2021 Astroworld Festival tragedy, but today, his request was denied by the judge overseeing the case. According to Billboard (via Rolling Stone), Judge Kristen Hawkins denied the motion without a written rationale for her ruling. That means Scott will still be on the hook — along with Live Nation and the other festival organizers — when the massive combined civil liability trial begins on May 6. The first case to be tried will be the wrongful death suit filed by the family of the late Madison Dubiski.
Scott’s lawyers’ bid to remove him from the liability proceedings followed a similar, successful bid by Drake. They argued, “Performing artists, even those who engage in certain promotional activities, have no inherent expertise or specialized knowledge in concert safety measures, venue security protocols, or site-design,” asserting that should free him from liability for the crowd crush that killed 10 and injured hundreds. However, Dubiski’s family’s attorneys responded that Scott showed “a conscious disregard for safety,” citing Scott’s tweet that “we still sneaking the wild ones in” after the festival sold out as evidence he did not properly regard overcrowding concerns. In addition, he was the only artist performing during his headlining set with no counterprogramming to cut down on crowding, and the plaintiffs say he disregarded festival organizers’ recommendations to stop the fest as conditions worsened.