Nine of the 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed in relation to the deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld music festival have been settled, including one that was set to go to trial. The lawsuit was filed by the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old Houston resident who was one of the 10 people killed during the crowd crush at the concert by Travis Scott. Live Nation, the festival’s promoter, and Travis Scott were among those being sued in the wrongful death lawsuits.
Attorneys involved in the case confirmed during a court hearing that the Dubiski family’s lawsuit has been resolved, although the terms of the settlements were confidential. Only one wrongful death lawsuit remains pending, which was filed by the family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest person killed during the concert. Attorneys are set to meet to discuss when the lawsuit filed by Blount’s family could be set for trial in the future.
State District Judge Kristen Hawkins plans to discuss the Blount case at an upcoming hearing along with potential trials related to the injury cases filed after the concert. Over 4,000 plaintiffs filed lawsuits after the concert, with approximately 2,400 injury cases still pending. The nearly settled cases mark a significant development in the litigation following the tragedy at the Astroworld music festival.
The trial in Dubiski’s case was put on hold after Apple Inc., one of the defendants sued by Dubiski’s family, appealed a court ruling denying their request to be dismissed from the case. An appeals court granted Apple a stay in the case, and after this development, attorneys for Dubiski’s family settled the lawsuit with all defendants, including Apple, Scott, and Live Nation. Allegations of negligent planning and a lack of concern over capacity and safety at the event were made by lawyers for Dubiski’s family and other plaintiffs.
The deaths and injuries at the concert were attributed to compression asphyxia, with the victims ranging in age from 9 to 27 years old. Scott, Live Nation, and the other defendants have denied claims of negligence, stating that safety was their top priority and that the tragedy could not have been foreseen. Following a police investigation, a grand jury declined to indict Scott and others connected to the festival. The settlement of the majority of the wrongful death lawsuits highlights progress in resolving the legal ramifications of the Astroworld tragedy, while still leaving one case pending for further litigation.