A lawsuit filed on behalf of 125 Astroworld 2021 attendees, including some family members of the ten people killed in the crowd crush, is seeking $750 million in damages from Travis Scott, Drake, promoter Live Nation, and Apple Music, which livestreamed the festival.
Houston attorney Tony Buzbee made the announcement on Instagram, pledging that “every individual who attended that concert and who suffered injury will be fairly compensated.” Buzbee is a colorful character — a onetime Democratic Party official who later became an ally of Republican Governor Rick Perry, Buzbee ran for mayor of Houston in 2019 as an Independent, losing in a runoff with 43% of the vote. His website, JustWin.com, boasts of “$10 billion recovered” for his clients.
Buzbee said he is representing the family of Axel Acosta, who died, as well as concert goers who “suffered broken bones, or twisted knees, or orthopedic injuries. Many have psychological injury.”
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The fatal crowd crush began as Travis Scott was taking the stage. While the rapper and festival organizer sometimes acknowledged that something seemed wrong — such as when an ambulance entered the crowd — he finished the set, and brought out Drake as a surprise guest. The lawsuit accuses both artists of negligence, as well as Live Nation. Buzbee noted that he had been in contact with Live Nation’s lawyers.
According to Buzbee, “Our team has toured the site and collected evidence. We have taken statements from more than fifty witnesses. We have collected hours of video tape from almost every angle.” He added, “No amount of money will fix what occurred on the night of November 5.” Check out his full statement below.
The tragic events have sparked hundreds of lawsuits already. Scott has offered refunds to all attendees, and promised to cover funeral expenses for the victims. Following the concert, he went to Dave and Buster’s, though he claims he didn’t know the full extent of the injuries at the time. As for Drake, he dealt with the stress the day after by blowing $1 million at a strip club. The youngest of the victims was nine-year-old Ezra Blount.
