Live Nation Settles Wrongful Death Suits for Astroworld Festival

Nearly three years after a crowd crush at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival left 10 concertgoers dead, event promoter Live Nation has settled nine of the 10 wrongful death lawsuits that came in the wake of the catastrophe.

News of the settlements comes as one of the lawsuits was set to go to trial this week. Jury selection was set to begin on Tuesday in the suit filed by the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old who resided in Houston, according to the Associated Press.

The settlements following the deadly event arrive after the Justice Department revealed plans last month to sue Live Nation for antitrust violations as soon as this month. The suit would claim the company “has leveraged its dominance in a way that undermined competition for ticketing events,” creating an environment where the entity monopolizes the industry and beyond.

Live Nation attorney Neal Manne explained during a hearing today (May 8) that nine of the lawsuits against the promotion company and Scott had been settled, including that of Dubiski. Settlement terms were not disclosed due to a gag order. The one lawsuit that remains is from the family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest to pass away in the catastrophe, and the family’s attorney said that they plan to take the case to trial.

Astroworld Festival first took place on Nov. 5, 2021 at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. The crush of concertgoers left eight people dead on site, as well as two more who later passed away in the hospital. More than 4,000 attendees filed hundreds of lawsuits following the event, with 2,400 injury cases to come.