HOUSTON — San Antonio attorney Thomas J. Henry says he's representing nearly 300 people in a massive $2 billion lawsuit following the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured.
The lawsuit includes the following defendants:
- Travis Scott
- Drake (Under his given name Aubrey Drake Graham)
- Apple Music
- Live Nation
- NRG Stadium
"The defendants stood to make an exorbitant amount of money off of this event, and they still chose to cut corners, cut costs, and put attendees at risk," Henry said in a statement Thursday.
'Cannot happen again'
The well-known personal injury attorney said the lawsuit was filed on behalf of 282 concertgoers, and at least 120 other alleged victims have contacted his firm.
"My clients want to ensure the defendants are held responsible for their actions, and they want to send the message to all performers, event organizers, and promoters that what happened at Astroworld cannot happen again."
Several other powerhouse attorneys have been hired to represent the families of those who died, and other victims who say they were injured and traumatized.
$750 million lawsuit by Tony Buzbee
Earlier this week, Tony Buzbee filed a $750 million lawsuit that also names headliner Travis Scott, Drake, Epic Records and Apple Music. Live Nation and even the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, among many others.
"This concert was doomed from the beginning," Buzbee said. "It was doomed before they filed their operations plan."
Legal experts said enormous lawsuits like these are expected with a tragedy of this magnitude.
"I'm not shocked. The judgments in these types of cases can be astronomical," UH Law Center Professor Meredith Duncan told KHOU 11.
Buzbee's suit alleges gross negligence and cites the Houston Fire Department's own incident logs to showcase the spiraling situation at the concert and repeated failed attempts to stop it before people were killed.
"You can predict something very bad is going to happen by reading the entries earlier in the day," Buzbee said. "We got to figure out a way to make sure this doesn't happen again."
The stack of lawsuits is expected to keep growing in the days and weeks to come.
Free counseling services for victims
The memorial outside NRG continues to draw Houstonians, including some who attended the event.
Rainier Villaverde is a UH student who survived the crowd surge during the Travis Scott concert. He's a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits.
Villaverde is a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits and says he's still recovering physically and emotionally.
“I did see myself, regard myself as a positive person before this event, but ever since the event, it’s kinda hard to stay focused -- not only on my day to day responsibilities but my happiness in general," he said.
Psychologists urge survivors to get help if they're struggling.
"With the holidays coming up, you're gonna want to avoid family interactions. You're gonna want to isolate," Psychologist Kit W,. Harrison said. "It's important to recognize the horror of the situation and the tendency, the natural tendency, to avoid others, to avoid crowds, to avoid certain circumstances and avoid situations at school and at home."
The Harris Center for Mental Health is offering counseling services to anyone impacted by the Astroworld events. You can call 713-970-7000.