Photo Credit: Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock
The last remaining wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the tragic 2021 Astroworld Festival, where 10 people lost their lives in a catastrophic crowd surge, has been settled, according to an attorney’s statement on Thursday.
The lawsuit was brought by the family of Ezra Blount, a 9-year-old who was the youngest victim of the incident at the concert headlined by rapper Travis Scott. Jury selection for the case had been scheduled to start on September 10. However, S. Scott West, the attorney representing the Blount family, announced that a settlement was reached this week.
Ezra’s family had filed the lawsuit against Travis Scott, Live Nation (the festival promoter and the world’s largest live entertainment company), Apple Inc. (which livestreamed the concert), and other associated entities and individuals. “The family will continue its journey to heal, but never forget the joy that Ezra brought to everyone around him,” West said in an email.
Ezra’s father, Treston Blount, recounted that during the November 5, 2021 concert, Ezra was on his shoulders when the crowd surge began. Treston lost consciousness, and when he regained it, Ezra was missing. After a frantic search, Ezra was found at a Houston hospital with severe injuries and passed away a few days later.
This lawsuit was one of ten wrongful death suits filed after the deadly event. Earlier this month, attorneys announced that the other nine wrongful death cases had also been settled.
The terms of the settlements for all ten cases remain confidential. The Houston Chronicle first reported the settlement of the Blount family’s lawsuit. Due to a gag order, attorneys for Live Nation, Travis Scott, and other defendants have not commented on the case.
In addition to the wrongful death cases, approximately 2,400 injury claims are still pending, with more than 4,000 plaintiffs having filed hundreds of lawsuits following the Astroworld disaster. The first trial related to these injury cases was scheduled by state District Judge Kristen Hawkins for October 15, focusing on seven specific injury cases. It remains unclear if this trial will proceed as scheduled following the Blount lawsuit settlement.
During the crowd surge at Astroworld, attendees were so tightly packed that many could not breathe or move. The victims, ranging in age from 9 to 27, died from compression asphyxia. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have argued that the fatalities and injuries were the result of negligent planning and inadequate safety measures at the event.
The defendants, including Scott and Live Nation, have denied these claims, asserting that safety was their top priority and that the incident was unforeseeable. Following a police investigation, a grand jury last year decided not to indict Scott and five others connected to the festival.
As the legal proceedings continue, the focus remains on the numerous injury cases still pending, and the industry’s ongoing scrutiny of event safety standards in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy.
