An man injured at opening night of the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, filed suit Saturday against the organizers of the concert, less than 24 hours after eight people were killed and hundreds more injured for as yet undetermined reasons.
Manual Souza sued Travis Scott, who was onstage when the incident happened, LiveNation, and ScoreMore, Billboard reported.
Souza’s attorney, Steve Kherkher, wrote in the suit that the incident was the direct result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.”
“Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” Kherkher wrote. “Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.”
The lawsuit claims that organizers ignored warning signs earlier in the day, including an incident in which “concertgoers breached a security gate around the park, stampeded into the premises, and trampled over one another.”
Organizers kept the show going even as ambulances arrived.
“Eventually, due to defendants’ active decision to let the show go on, the scene devolved into a complete melee, resulting in the needless, untimely death of at least 8 people and injuries to scores of others,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit is particularly pointed to Scott, saying he “has long … encouraged” the behavior seen at the festival.
“His express encouragement of violence has previously resulted in serious violence at numerous past concerts,” it says.
The suit seeks at least $1 million in damages and also names Scott’s Cactus Jack Records and other individuals and companies as defendant.
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[Featured image: Travis Scott performs on day one of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)]
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