At least one injured concertgoer has filed a lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott, organizer ScoreMore and Live Nation, claiming they bear full responsibility for a tragedy that could have been prevented, Billboard reported Sunday.
In the lawsuit, the attendee, Manuel Souza, claims that the incident, which he called a “predictable and preventable tragedy,” was the result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.“
“Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” Souza’s attorney reportedly stated. “Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.“
A complaint was reportedly filed by Kristian Paredes, 23, from Austin, Texas, who is suing not only Scott, but also rapper Drake, who was invited to his show as a special guest.
Paredes claims the rappers “incited the crowd“, resulting in him getting “severely injured“, and specifically says Drake continued to perform alongside Scott “as the crowd became out of control“ and “while the crowd mayhem continued,“ according to the complaint obtained by The Daily Mail.
Following the tragic events on Friday, in which eight people, including two under 18, were killed, and dozens more were reportedly injured, numerous videos have emerged (most are really disturbing) showing Travis Scott ignoring the calls to stop the show as the chaos unfolded.
The attendees claimed Scott was fully aware of what was happening as unconscious fans were being taken away from the concert, but continued performing for reportedly 30 minutes before the event was finally stopped.
Notably, the rapper has pleaded guilty on two previous occasions for inciting fans at his shows in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Fans have shared videos online as proof, including those in which the performer shouted he wanted “chaos“, encouraged the crowd to jump off the 3rd-floor balcony, and showed disrespect for security at the events.
Scott tweeted on Saturday he was “absolutely devastated“ by the incident and pledged to work with the authorities to help the families of the victims.
His girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, also released a statement (on her Instagram stories), insisting they had no idea of “any fatalities“ until the news emerged after the show.
“And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community, I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show, and in no world would have continued filming or performing,” Jenner claimed.
More lawsuits in connection with the incident are expected to be filed.