Five more wrongful-death lawsuits filed against Travis Scott, Live Nation Entertainment and others following the deadly Astroworld crowd disaster in 2021 have been settled, including one that was set to go to trial this week, the Associated Press reports. The terms of the various settlements were confidential and attorneys declined to comment after the most recent court hearing because of a gag order in the case.
Jury selection in the wrongful-death lawsuit for Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old Houston resident who died of asphyxia from compression in the Astroworld crowd crash, was set to begin Tuesday. During a court hearing Wednesday, however, Noah Wexler, an attorney for Dubiski's family, confirmed that their case “has been resolved in its entirety.” No other details were shared. To honor their late daughter, Dubiski's family started the Pink Bows Foundation, which focuses on improving security measures at outdoor concerts and other events.
“Sir. Scott is grateful that a resolution was reached without the need for a trial,” said Ted Anastasiou, a spokesman for the rapper. “The confidential settlement will honor Madison Dubiski's legacy and promote concert security improvements.”
Another wrongful-death lawsuit against Scott, Live Nation, Apple and other parties is pending, filed by the family of nine-year-old victim Ezra Blount. “As the youngest victim, Ezra's terror must have been unimaginable as the crowd ripped him from his father's shoulders and then crushed and choked the life out of his small body,” said Bob Hilliard, an attorney for Blund's family. . Attorneys were scheduled to meet next week to discuss when Blount's lawsuit could be scheduled for trial, but Live Nation attorney Neal Manne said he and attorneys for other defendants were not ready. If the Blount family's lawsuit is not settled, State Judge Kristen Brauckle Hawkins said she will schedule it as the next trial instead of a personal injury case.
Dubiski's family is the ninth mourner to settle a lawsuit over the Nov. 6, 2021, NRG Park crowd crash that resulted in ten deaths and thousands of injuries. The families of Axel Acosta and Brianna Rodriguez, two other Astroworld attendees who died, previously settled their own suits in October 2022, while the family of late 14-year-old John Hilgert settled a wrongful-death lawsuit in August of last year . More than 4,000 plaintiffs filed lawsuits after the concert, and about 2,400 personal injury cases remain pending.
In July 2023, the Houston Police Department released a 1,266-page report on the Astroworld tragedy that included interviews with Scott, Drake and concertgoers affected by the crowd crush, which occurred while Scott was performing on stage. In the report, Scott recalled being told through his earpiece, “You've got to wrap it up, it's kind of rough out there,” but said he wasn't told the severity of the situation until later.
Last June, Reuters reported that Scott would not be criminally charged in connection with the incident, a decision made by a Harris County grand jury after a 19-month investigation. Scott and Live Nation still face multiple civil lawsuits over Astroworld.
