Is this end of Travis Scott's career? 68 Astroworld victims file suit worth billions
Travis Scott is facing several lawsuits less than a week after the horrifying crowd surge at the Astroworld concert in Houston over the weekend, and many legal experts are wondering whether the mounting challenges could spell the end of the rapper's career.
Texas attorney Thomas J Henry is reportedly representing 68 victims in a suit against Scott, fellow rapper Drake, Live Nation, and NRG Stadium, with dozens of more victims expected to come forward to tell their stories and demand justice. Henry revealed that the mounting cases could see potential damages in Astroworld injuries and deaths reaching billions of dollars. At least eight people died after succumbing to injuries at Astroworld. Another 23 people were hospitalized, 11 suffered cardiac arrest, and 300 were treated on-site, the Associated Press reported.
RELATED ARTICLES
Bharti Shahani: Astroworld victim, 22, declared brain dead with ‘no chance’ of survival
Live Nation: Astroworld Festival promoter previously sued, fined for safety violations
Several legal experts told the news agency that Scott's past incitement of concertgoers could make it easier to pursue negligence claims against companies that planned and managed the show. Bang in the middle of the legal maelstrom is 30-year-old Scott, who is famous for whipping fans into a frenzy and has previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from stirring up audiences at previous concerts, many of which “teetered on the edge of mayhem," per The New York Times.
In 2015, Chicago authorities said Scott encouraged fans at the Lollapalooza music festival to vault security barricades. He was subsequently sentenced to one year of court supervision after pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges. In 2017, Scott was arrested after he pushed fans to bypass security and rush the stage during a concert in Arkansas, leaving a security guard, a police officer, and several others injured. The 'Sicko Mode' hitmaker faced several misdemeanor counts at the time, including inciting a riot. He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine. As of date, Scott is also being sued by a concertgoer who claimed he was partially paralyzed after being pushed from a third-floor balcony at a New York City concert in 2017, alleging that the incident occurred after Scott encouraged people to jump.
Considering Scott's pattern of behavior in the past, coupled with heartbreaking accounts of the Astroworld victims' families, many fans appeared to turn on the rapper as they shared their anger and frustration surrounding the tragedy. Some called for a total boycott of his music, with one explaining how to essentially block the artist from streaming platform Spotify. Others shared how many top artists -- including Linkin Park's late frontman Chester Bennington, A$AP Rocky, Adele, and Dave Grohl -- had stopped concerts after noticing dangerous or concerning behavior in the crowd.
Travis Scott, Drake, and Live Nation reportedly in first lawsuit for over $1 million: pic.twitter.com/93gk8kPaIn
— 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙. (@StrappedHH) November 7, 2021
Now, with the legal armageddon looming overhead, Scott's every move is under intense public scrutiny and his career hangs in the balance. He is facing a mountain of lawsuits -- 19 and counting at the time of writing, per Rolling Stone -- aside from being ripped in the court of public opinion. The rapper is seemingly taking a break from the public eye in the meantime. He canceled the second day of the festival and issued attendees a refund after news broke of the tragedy. He also backed out of his only other scheduled show, slated to take place as part of the Day N Vegas festival later this month. Sources told Variety that Scott is "too distraught to play."