Drake removed from lawsuit over Astroworld crowd crush that left 10 fans dead
Drake has been removed as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by the families of the victims of the deadly crowd crush at Travis Scott's 2021 Astroworld festival, which resulted in 10 deaths.
On April 1, the "God's Plan" rapper's lawyers argued in Houston that he was not involved in the planning and execution of the concert and could not be held liable. District Judge Kristen Hawkins subsequently dismissed him from the case.
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The tragedy, which claimed the lives of victims as young as 9, was the deadliest event at an American music venue since a gunman opened fire at a country music festival in Las Vegas in 2017, killing 60 people plus himself. Multiple negligence and wrongful-death lawsuits were filed in response to the Astroworld deaths and injuries, including against Drake, Scott and promoter Live Nation. Congress later launched an investigation into the event's security and disaster response.
The emergency began around 9:30 the night of the event, as the crowd of 50,000 swelled and fans became unable to move. Victims died of asphyxiation and dozens more were injured. Scott briefly paused the show when he noticed "an ambulance in the crowd," but the concert continued until 10:10 p.m.
A report released by the Houston Police Department in July 2023 found that there were multiple calls to stop the show once the tragedy began to unfold, but Drake and Scott were unaware of what was happening in the crowd. A grand jury had cleared Scott of criminal charges a month earlier.
“Live musical performances are meant to inspire catharsis, not tragedy,” read a 2021 statement from lawyer Thomas J. Henry, who represented Kristian Paredes, a fan who was severely injured at the event. “Many of these concert-goers were looking forward to this event for months, and they deserved a safe environment in which to have fun and enjoy the evening. Instead, their night was one of fear, injury, and death.”
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Both Drake and Scott expressed their devastation after the event, dropping out of upcoming appearances, refunding ticket fees and offering to cover memorial and therapy expenses for the victims.
"My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering,” Drake wrote in a statement following the tragedy. “I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can. May God be with you all.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
