An Astroworld attendee took legal action against Live Nation Entertainment and NRG Park after Travis Scott’s festival turned into a dangerous melee on Friday, leaving at least eight people dead and many more injured. Although investigators are still attempting to determine who is at fault in the tragedy, a number of lawsuits are expected in the coming days.
In documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Cristian Guzman’s legal team, VB Attorneys, took a two-pronged approach in their filing. First, they petitioned Harris County District Court to issue a restraining order preventing the concert promotion behemoth from “damaging, modifying, altering, selling or disposing of any evidence of negligence at NRG Park during the Astroworld Fest 2021 on the night of Nov. 5 and the morning of Nov. 6, 2021.”
In addition, Guzman is seeking a jury trial and more than $1 million in damages, alleging that Live Nation and the other defendants failed “to control and supervise the crowd at the event,” “to provide sufficient equipment for medical professionals,” and “to prevent a stampede from occurring,” among other things.
Vuk Vujasinovic, one of the lawyers representing Guzman, suggested that this suit would be the first of several from his firm. “Through this case and the others we are filing, we are, first, preserving evidence [that] all of the victims will need,” he told Rolling Stone in an email. “Second, [we are] holding accountable everyone who is responsible for this terrible tragedy that happened here in our city so that nothing like this ever happens again.”
In a statement, a rep for Live Nation said that “we continue to support and assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve.” The rep added that “we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time.“
Guzman attended Astroworld on Friday, and during the chaos caused by the crowd surge, he alleges that he “was pushed to the ground and trampled,” leading to “a significant back injury.” Court documents claim that Guzman “has suffered “disfigurement, physical pain, and mental anguish and, in reasonable probability, will continue to suffer disfigurement, physical pain, and mental anguish in the future.” As a result, Guzman’s lawyers argue that his “wage earning capacity has been diminished.”
Scott or Live Nation are now on the receiving end of at least three suits. Vujasinovic says his company initially filed their documents on Saturday. Over the weekend, Manuel Souza also accused Scott and Live Nation of failing “to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner” and sought at least $1 million in damages. Souza’s lawyers called the show’s fatal turn “predictable and preventable.”
In addition, Kristian Paredes sued Scott, Live Nation, and Drake, according to TMZ. Like Souza and Guzman, Paredes is asking for more than $1 million in damages.
From Rolling Stone US
