Travis Scott has made it clear that he doesn’t believe the safety of the fans at the Astroworld Music Festival was his responsibility and that he, therefore, should not be involved in an ongoing lawsuit.
That’s the argument he made in court documents obtained by Billboard on Thursday (March 28). According to the documents, which were filed by Cactus Jack’s attorneys led by Daniel Petrocelli, the rapper (real name Jacques Bermon Webster II) feels that the responsibility for the fans’ safety lies with event organizers and a venue’s staff.
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“Like any other adrenaline-inducing diversion, music festivals must balance exhilaration with safety and security—but that balance is not the job of performing artists, even those involved in promoting and marketing performances,” Petrocelli wrote.
“Which only makes sense: Performing artists, even those who engage in certain promotional activities, have no inherent expertise or specialized knowledge in concert safety measures, venue security protocols, or site-design.”
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He continued: “When, during festival planning, concerns arose about the risk of a stampede occurring in the festival site, the Scott defendants supported festival organizers’ efforts to eliminate that risk by agreeing to remove certain rides and other attractions at the site. Then, when the Scott defendants were told to end the show after Mr. Scott’s guest performer finished performing, they did just that—ending the show as directed.”
Earlier this month, Drake‘s attorneys filed a motion to have his name removed from the myriad of Astroworld lawsuits, claiming that he was “not involved” in planning the event.
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A motion filed on March 8 in the Houston courts, was obtained by Billboard, argues that Drake was merely performing when the tragedy occurred, and therefore has no liability in the matter.
“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.”
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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.
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.
“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.
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“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.”
