HOUSTON — A Houston judge spent hours Monday listening to arguments on whether rapper Travis Scott should or should not be dismissed from a class action lawsuit in the Astroworld Festival tragedy.
The lawsuit targets Scott and other companies like Apple Music and concert promoter Live Nation. Rapper Drake, who was a guest performer during the festival, was also named in the lawsuit, but a judge cleared him from liability last week.
In November 2021, a crowd crush at the festival killed 10 people and injured hundreds of others. A month after the tragedy, a judicial board ruled that the more than 300 lawsuits filed against Scott, Drake, and companies who helped organize the festival would be consolidated and handled by one judge. The consolidated lawsuit totaled $2 billion.
District Court Judge Kristen Hawkins heard more than three hours of arguments on Monday.
Attorneys representing the people killed and injured at the festival made their case as to why Scott should remain a defendant in the high-stakes civil suit.
Scott's attorneys argued the rapper's primary role at the festival was as a performer. They say that means he can't be held responsible for planning and security.
"What do the contracts say," asked legal analyst Randy Sorrels. "What was Travis Scott's responsibilities under the contract? What did Travis Scott actually control?
Sorrels said Judge Hawkins will weigh the evidence and the arguments before ruling on the summary judgment motions.
"When you have a tragedy of this magnitude, a number of errors were made, typically by a large number of parties," said Sorrels.
Several of Scott's co-defendants are against the rapper being dismissed from the case.
"Most defendants want to have everybody possible in the case so they can deflect responsibility in the event they did make a mistake," said Sorrels. "They want to be able to point the finger at other co-defendants."
Attorneys for Apple Inc. and ASM Global, the company that manages NRG Park, are also hoping to be dismissed from the case.
A lot of money could be on the line as this lawsuit moves closer to trial.
"In cases like this, it wouldn't be unusual for an excess of a billion dollars to be discussed for all the injuries and deaths involved," said Sorrels.
It's unclear when the judge will rule on whether Scott can be dismissed from the lawsuit, but there's not much time left. The civil trial is set to begin on May 6.