Travis Scott has made his first legal response to several of the lawsuits filed against him in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy.
Ten people were killed during a crowd surge that occurred during Scott’s performance on Nov. 5 at NRG Park in Houston. Hundreds of other concertgoers were left with severe injuries.
Fan footage shared by attendees of the festival showed Scott appearing to encourage the crowd to participate in mosh pits, while several witness testimonies further detailed numerous people being crushed and trampled by one another in the crowd.
After the show was officially declared a mass casualty incident, Scott continued to play on for a reported 37 minutes. However, sources close to the rapper have maintained that he only found out about the severity of the situation “hours and hours after the concert.”
In the weeks since the tragedy, Scott — who headlined and produced the annual event — has been named as a defendant in over 200 lawsuits. Many have cited “negligence” and the “encouragement of violence,” among other harms.
The majority of the suits have been filed against Scott and various connected companies — including Cactus Jack Records and Live Nation — by the families of the victims, as well as security guards at the event. According to reports, the lawsuits are seeking a collective sum of roughly $3 billion in damages.
In paperwork filed in response to the multiple suits, Scott has made his first legal response.
On Dec. 6, Scott, via his attorneys, requested to be dismissed from 11 lawsuits filed against him.
According to court documents obtained by various media outlets including Rolling Stone, Vulture, and People, Scott and his company “generally deny the allegations” made in the suits and “respectfully request that the claims against these Defendants be dismissed with prejudice.”
A representative for Scott reportedly maintained that the rapper “is not legally liable” for the tragedy before adding that he’ll likely file more dismissal requests.
Several of the festival’s promoters and connected companies, including Live Nation, ScoreMore, Harris County Sports, and Convention Corporation, further denied all allegations made against them.
In light of the tragedy and multiple suits filed against him, Scott’s immediate request for dismissal has elicited a negative response from fans.
“People need to be held responsible for their part in the Astroworld tragedy,” wrote one person.
“So much for that apology,” another echoed.
Similarly, Scott faced backlash two weeks ago when he was pictured out on a golf trip with other A-list celebrities in his first public outing since the tragedy.
In a series of photos that quickly went viral on Twitter, Scott was seen with Mark Wahlberg, Michael Jordan, Kris Jenner’s boyfriend, Corey Gamble, and actor Saïd Taghmaoui in Southern California on Nov. 23.
Scott’s casual public appearance amid the ongoing controversy caused outrage among fans, with some accusing the rapper of acting “like nothing happened.”
Last week, the family of Ezra Blount — a 9-year-old boy who died following injuries he sustained at the festival — declined Scott’s offer to pay for the funeral. Blount was believed to be the youngest victim of the tragedy.
The Blount family’s lawyer, Bob Hilliard, reportedly wrote in a letter to Scott's attorney: “Your client’s offer is declined... I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy.”
Following suit, several other families of victims who died at or following the festival have recently rejected Scott’s funds. Some allegedly called his offer “an attempt to lessen public pressure rather than a genuine display of remorse.”
Philip Corboy, the attorney for the families of 21-year-olds Jacob Jurinek and Franco Patino, alleged that the families “realized quickly that all [Scott] was trying to do was trying to lessen the public outcry on his case.”
Meanwhile, the attorney for the family of 14-year-old John Hilgert, Richard Mithoff, said: “This family is set on making change and ensuring this never happens at a concert again. I find offering to pay for funerals frankly demeaning and really inappropriate to the magnitude of the tragedy that unfolded.