Drake‘s attorneys have filed a motion to have his name removed from the myriad of Astroworld lawsuits, claiming that he was “not involved” in the planning of the event.
A motion filed on Friday (March 8) in the Houston courts, which has been obtained by Billboard, argues that Drake was merely performing when the tragedy occured, and therefore has no liability in the matter.
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“Mr. Graham did not receive any security briefings, was not informed of any crowd control issues, injuries or deaths in the crowd, or any stop show orders at any time either before or during his 14-minute performance,” his attorneys wrote, adding that the festival organizers “confirmed under oath that Mr. Graham was not involved in any planning.”
The motion also argued that despite the thousands of hours of discovery testimony and filings, no evidence existed of Drake’s further involvement in the festival.
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A judge has not yet ruled on the matter.
Last September, Travis Scott was forced to sit down for an eight-hour deposition and face questions about the 2021 tragedy, which has spawned hundreds of lawsuits.
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“Travis Scott’s deposition is typical legal procedure. What is not typical is how the media continues to focus on him despite being cleared of any wrongdoing by extensive government investigations, including by the Houston Police Department,” Scott’s spokesperson Ted Anastasiou said in a statement.
“Travis is fully cooperating with the legal process while remaining committed to his tour in support of his record-breaking album, ‘Utopia,’ and his charitable efforts to support at-risk communities.”
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Scott isn’t facing criminal charges related to the festival deaths, as he was exonerated by a grand jury in June.
The “SICKO MODE” hitmaker was interviewed by an investigator days after the November 2021 festival and claimed that he was unaware of the severity of the tragedy while on stage.
“He stated he was in a ‘trance’ going through his performance and getting into the music,” read the report. “He noted that there was not a ‘high commotion’ and that everybody was just looking at him perform.”
It continued: “He clarified by stating he was told in his earpiece, ‘Yo Trav, you got to wrap it up, it’s getting kinda hectic out there.’ He stated again that he was supposed to go until 10:30 but he was told to stop short after Drake got off the stage. Again, there was no mention to the severity of the situation.”
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A judge scheduled the first of the civil trials to head to court on May 6, 2024.
