The start of the civil trial over who is responsible for the deaths and injuries during the 2021 Astroworld Festival will be delayed, after an appeals court decided against quickly dismissing a motion by Apple to have the company removed from the litigation, reports the Houston Chronicle.
The Texas First Court of Appeals on Tuesday told the company it had until May 10 to file a motion in support of its appeal, the article adds. At the same time, the court denied a request by lawyers representing Astroworld victims to lift a stay on the trial that was triggered by the appeal.
All this means that Apple and companies affiliated with rapper Travis Scott have to remain as defendants in an ongoing civil lawsuit involving deaths and injuries at the 2021 Astroworld disaster. Ten people died following a deadly crowd surge at the Nov. 5 2021 concert. Buzbee’s suit, which also names Apple Music — which streamed the event — and Epic Records, alleges gross negligence and seeks damages for “the loss of mental and physical health, and human life.”
Astroworld Festival is an annual music festival run by Scott, held in Houston, Texas, at NRG Park, on the former site of Six Flags Astroworld.Tickets for the 2021 edition went on sale on May 5, 2021, with the event expanding into a two-night festival on November 5 and 6. Ticket sales for the year were raised to 100,000, double of the year before.
The Houston Chronicle reported that 50,000 fans attended the show, which led to a surge during Scott’s performance at the festival outside NRG Park. At a press conference following the concert, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña clarified the timeline. He said that at 9 p.m. the crowd began surging forward during Scott’s set as there was panic and people running for safety.
At that point, Scott paused the show several times to ask security to help out fans, and members of the fire department were sent into the dense crowd to rescue the injured. At 9:38 p.m. a “mass-casualty incident” was triggered, at which time CPR began to be administered to several unconscious fans.
In November 2021 a US$750 million lawsuit was filed against Apple, promoter Live Nation, and performers Drake and Scott. The lawsuit, filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, said that gross negligence lead to the injuries and deaths at the Astroworld concert.
In recent months, some of the dozens of named defendants have sought to be dismissed from the matter, arguing that plaintiffs hadn’t done enough to connect their role in the concert to the deaths and injuries. Judge Kristen Hawkins’s April 8 orders dismissed some defendants; however, Apple wasn’t among them. And still isn’t.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today