Travis Scott on Monday moved to dismiss 11 lawsuits filed against him for the Nov. 5 Astroworld concert tragedy, in which 10 people died and hundreds of others were injured during a crowd surge.
Scott claimed in his response that he is not “legally liable” for the deaths and injuries, according to Rolling Stone magazine, which spoke to a representative from one of his companies. Scott will most likely be filing more responses claiming he is not liable, the representative said.
People magazine, which obtained six of the 11 lawsuit responses, reported that Scott denies the allegations made against him and is seeking to dismiss the lawsuits with prejudice, meaning victims couldn’t file a similar lawsuit if Scott’s request was granted. Scott, through his company Cactus Jack Records, is being represented by law firms O’Melveny & Myers, Yetter Coleman and Tribble-Ross, People reported.
The hip-hop artist faces around 300 lawsuits from more than 1,000 people accusing him of negligence during the event in Harris County, Texas. The families of the victims, including a 9-year-old, in total are seeking $3 billion in damages.
Scott is named in a massive $2 billion lawsuit, along with fellow performer Drake, who appeared at the concert, and event organizers Live Nation and Apple Music. NRG Stadium, the venue, is also among the defendants named in the lawsuit.
Plaintiffs accuse the defendants of ignoring safety protocols and cutting corners during a festival that attracted more than 50,000 people. Scott, who has a history of encouraging crowd surges and chaos at his concerts, is accused of negligence for continuing the event even as people rushed the stage in a frenzy.
The “Sicko Mode” and “Goosebumps” rapper is one of the biggest hip-hop artists today, but Scott has been castigated for this role in the concert following the tragedy.
Scott said he was “devastated” by the Astrowrold tragedy shortly after the event, and he suggested he could pay for the funeral costs of the 10 victims who died. Five of the families have so far rejected the offer.