Travis Scott, Live Nation, ASM Global Hire Lawyers for Astroworld Lawsuits

With lawsuits continuing to pile up in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy last month, Travis Scott and Live Nation Entertainment have both brought in high profile legal representation, according to numerous reports. Hundreds of legal actions have already been filed in the aftermath of the Houston festival, which saw dangerous crowd conditions lead to a “surge” that claimed the lives of ten concertgoers and injuries to hundreds more. Scott was on stage at the time of the surge, while Live Nation Entertainment was the promoter of the event and in charge of much of the planning and security.

According to Texas Lawbook, Live Nation Entertainment has hired Houston’s Susman Godfrey law firm to lead its defense amid the legal storm, which has cases asking for damages as high as $750 million in one instance, and more than $2 billion in another. Scott will reportedly be represented by Daniel Petrocelli, who is head of the litigation team for the firm of O’Melveny and Myers. Scott also has hired Houston criminal defense attorney Kent Schaffer. ASM Global, which manages the NRG Stadium venue for the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, has hired Norton Rose Fulbright.

“Susman Godfrey is one of the best trial law firms in the U.S., with incredibly smart and talented lawyers,” Chad Pinkerton, a Houston lawyer who represents about 75 victims in the Astroworld cases, told Texas Lawbook. “For Live Nation to hire the Susman firm shows that the company knows it is in deep trouble and is preparing for a bet-the-company litigation fight.”

In an email, Petrocelli extended an offer from Scott to pay for funeral expenses of those who died in the crowd crush, including for Ezra Blount, who at age nine was the youngest to die from injuries incurred during the festival. “Travis is devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Astroworld Festival and grieves for the families whose loved ones died or were injured,” Petrocelli wrote in the email. “Travis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community. Toward that end, Travis would like to pay for the funeral expenses for Mr. Blount’s son.”

In response, Blount’s attorney’s rejected the offer and indicated a long road ahead for Scott in the coming months.

“[Scott] must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy,” wrote . “There may be, and I hope there is, redemption and growth for him on the other side of what this painful process will be – and perhaps one day, once time allows some healing for the victims and acceptance of responsibility by Mr. Scott and others, Treston and Mr. Scott might meet – as there is also healing in that.”

It is likely that Astroworld litigation will center around two main areas – Scott’s history of encouraging unruly behavior at his concerts, and Live Nation’s poor safety record for events it operates. Chuck D of Public Enemy recently wrote an open letter slamming the California-based entertainment giant for allowing the artist to receive much of the blame in the wake of the tragedy rather than openly accept its responsibility for alleged security lapses that led to the crowded conditions.