Topline
Attorneys representing concert promoter Live Nation claimed an upcoming documentary about a crowd surge last year at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston that killed 10 people, could affect the viewpoints of potential jurors in litigation over the incident, though lawyers representing festival attendees pushed back and called it a “tattle tale” letter, according to Billboard and Rolling Stone.
Travis Scott performs during 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 05, 2021 in Houston, … [+]
Key Facts
Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy, premieres Wednesday in a limited run at a handful of Texas theaters the week after next, according to the production’s website.
In a complaint to Judge Kristen Hawkins filed last week, lawyers representing Live Nation, which promoted the festival, said the film “raises significant issues about efforts to taint the jury pool.”
Live Nation’s lawyers said the court should “be aware” because Ricardo Ramos, an attorney representing Astroworld victims, co-produced it, while other lawyers representing plaintiffs and victims involved in the case appear in it.
Robert C. Hilliard, who represents some Astroworld plaintiffs and was not involved in the film, said Monday that because a date hasn’t been set yet for a trial, it’s unclear why Live Nation would be concerned about the film’s release, according to Rolling Stone.
Hilliard said Live Nation was trying to “distract this court from their own clients’ criminally negligent conduct in the deaths and injuries of so many.”
Brent Coon, a lawyer representing Astroworld attendees who appears in the documentary, said the judge was aware of the film, which was produced before a gag order about the case was issued, and that Live Nation and its legal team were given an opportunity to be interviewed and declined, according to Billboard.
Key Background
After the November 5 tragedy, hundreds of lawsuits targeting Scott and Live Nation piled up. In December, attorneys combined 275 suits with 1,250 plaintiffs into a single case, which is still in its early stages, according to Billboard. In February, a gag order related to the case was issued and limits how much attorneys and victims can say about the case. Last month, Scott was accused of violating the order by lawyers representing some of the victims by launching a concert safety initiative called Project HEAL, an issue at the heart of the Astroworld case. In response, Scott’s lawyers said he has always been charitable and to stop him from speaking out about his efforts would violate his constitutional rights.
Further Reading
Astroworld Doc ‘Concert Crush’ Sparks Fight In Lawsuit (Billboard)
Attorney for Astroworld Victims Slams ‘Tattle-Tale’ Letter from Live Nation Over Upcoming Doc (Rolling Stone)
Nearly 300 Astroworld Lawsuits To Be Combined Into Single Case (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/04/13/live-nation-worried-astroworld-documentary-could-taint-jury-but-victims-push-back/