All but one of the wrongful death lawsuits tied to the deadly Astroworld Festival crowd rush have been settled, lawyers confirmed in a court hearing in Houston on Wednesday.
As the Associated Press reported, Live Nation attorney Neal Manne said in court Wednesday that nine of the 10 suits, including the suit from the family of Madison Dubiski that was originally slated to go to trial this week, have now been settled. Prior to Manne’s comment, it was known that at least four of the wrongful death cases had already been settled. Details of the settlements were undisclosed.
Dubiski’s trial would’ve been the first of the hundreds of lawsuits filed after 10 people died and hundreds others were injured during the crowd rush as Scott took the stage at Astroworld in November of 2021. Dubiski’s family listed Scott, Live Nation and Apple — which livestreamed the concert — as defendants. Both Apple and Scott’s recent requests to be dismissed from the case were denied in recent weeks, and Apple appealed the decision, delaying the trial to an unspecified date.
“The parties were able to reach agreement on a confidential settlement,” Jason Itkin, attorney for Dubiski’s family, said in a statement. “The parties will cooperate in the future to honor Madison Dubiski’s legacy and promote improvements in concert safety.”
A year after her death, Dubiski’s family launched a foundation focused on improving safety at concerts. A rep for Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Mr. Scott is grateful that a resolution has been reached without the need for a trial,” Ted Anastasiou, a representative for Scott, said. “The confidential agreement will honor Madison Dubiski’s legacy and promote improvements for concert safety.”
The settlements come almost a year after a grand jury had declined to criminally charge Scott and several festival organizers over the disaster. The Houston Police Department subsequently released a 1,266-page investigation providiing more details of the event.
The last remaining wrongful death case that remains is for the family of Ezra Blount, the nine-year-old who was the youngest person who died at the festival. Per the AP, judge Kristen Hawkins said the Blount family’s case would likely be scheduled as the next trial.
Responding to the news of the settlements, Bob Hilliard, a lawyer for the Blount family, shared a press release with what he said was the last photo taken of Blount, along with a general statement about the crowd rush.
“As the youngest victim, Ezra’s terror must have been unimaginable as the crowd surge ripped him from the safety of his father’s shoulders and then crushed and suffocated the life out of his small body—also rendering his dad unconscious,” Hilliard said.
From Rolling Stone US
