On Thursday, attorney Thomas J. Henry filed a $2 billion lawsuit against Travis Scott and others on behalf of the victims of the deadly Astroworld Festival tragedy.
Per a press release from the lawyer, the lawsuit seeks $2 billion in damages from Scott, Apple Music, Live Nation, NRG Stadium, and Drake, who was a guest performer at the festival as the fatal crowd crush happened. The suit was filed on behalf of 282 victims who hired Henry. In total, it was estimated that over 300 people were treated for injuries at the festival, while 25 people were hospitalized. Eight attendees were pronounced dead at the scene, and two more deaths were reported in the following weeks.
“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,” said Thomas J. Henry. “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.”
In an interview with Hollywood Life, Henry claimed the injuries his clients sustained at the festival ranged from heart attacks and brain injuries to broken bones and extensive bruising and bleeding. “Those who were injured are still very traumatized because they had to step over dead bodies,” he said. “They didn’t have a choice because there was nowhere to move. These people were trapped. The crushing effect was so heavy and so hard. They couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t get out.”
Earlier this month, attorneys Ben Crump and Alex Hilliard held a news conference to announce the filing of lawsuits from over 200 attendees of the Houston-based festival. Houston attorney Tony Buzbee also announced a $750 million lawsuit against Scott, Apple, Drake, and Live Nation by 125 festival attendees.
“We filed suit today on behalf of 125 Astroworld concertgoers, including the family of Axel Acosta. Axel died at the concert. Many of the clients named in this lawsuit suffered broken bones, or twisted knees, or orthopedic injuries. Many have psychological injury,” read a statement on the lawsuits from Buzbee. “I expect we will file on behalf of another 100 individuals very soon. I have been in contact with defense counsel for many of the entities sued, including Live Nation.”
