Drake has been taken out as a defendant in a lawsuit introduced by the households of the victims of the deadly crowd crush at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld pageant, which resulted in 10 deaths.
On April 1, the “God’s Plan” rapper’s lawyers argued in Houston that he was not included in the planning and execution of the live performance and could not be held liable. District Choose Kristen Hawkins subsequently dismissed him from the case.
The tragedy, which claimed the lives of victims as young as 9, was the deadliest event at an American tunes location due to the fact a gunman opened hearth at a state new music competition in Las Vegas in 2017, killing 60 individuals furthermore himself. Several negligence and wrongful-demise lawsuits have been filed in reaction to the Astroworld fatalities and accidents, together with in opposition to Drake, Scott and promoter Reside Nation. Congress afterwards released an investigation into the event’s security and disaster response.
The crisis commenced all-around 9:30 the evening of the event, as the group of 50,000 swelled and followers turned not able to shift. Victims died of asphyxiation and dozens more had been injured. Scott briefly paused the present when he recognized “an ambulance in the crowd,” but the live performance ongoing till 10:10 p.m.
A report produced by the Houston Law enforcement Office in July 2023 located that there have been several calls to prevent the clearly show the moment the tragedy began to unfold, but Drake and Scott have been unaware of what was occurring in the group. A grand jury experienced cleared Scott of criminal rates a month earlier.
“Live musical performances are intended to inspire catharsis, not tragedy,” examine a 2021 statement from lawyer Thomas J. Henry, who represented Kristian Paredes, a enthusiast who was seriously hurt at the occasion. “Many of these concert-goers were wanting ahead to this party for months, and they deserved a protected natural environment in which to have pleasurable and love the night. As a substitute, their night time was a person of dread, damage, and dying.”
Both Drake and Scott expressed their devastation following the occasion, dropping out of approaching appearances, refunding ticket expenses and presenting to cover memorial and therapy costs for the victims.
“My coronary heart is damaged for the families and close friends of those who missing their life and for everyone who is suffering,” Drake wrote in a assertion pursuing the tragedy. “I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of support in any way I can. Could God be with you all.”
The Affiliated Press contributed to this report.
