Travis Scott to Face a Civil Trial Over Astroworld Festival Tragedy as Judge Denies His Motion: Report

A judge officially denied Travis Scott's motion to dismiss the pending lawsuits against him concerning the Astroworld Festival tragedy in 2021.

Scott's lawyers submitted a motion in March in hopes of dismissing the rapper from the lawsuits filed against him and the organizers after his Houston show left 10 people dead and hundreds of attendees injured.

However, a judge denied their filing and greenlit a civil trial involving Scott.

Travis Scott to Face a Civil Trial Over Astroworld Festival Tragedy

In the update posted by Billboard, it was confirmed that Judge Kristen Hawkins denied Scott's motion without explanation. The ruling came after Drake was successfully removed as a defendant from the civil lawsuits.

The first trial for the wrongful death case filed by the family of the 23-year-old victim, Madison Dubiski, who died at the festival, will start on May 6.

With the recent ruling, Scott will join the other defendants-including Live Nation and more organizers-in court despite arguing that "performers are not expected to render special protection to the audience, nor to safeguard them from the rest of the crowd" in his March filing.

"No one disputes that tragedy struck the Astroworld Festival," the previous motion read. "But promoting and performing at a concert do not equate to the power to control a crowd or to design a venue safely. Basic tort principles prevent imposing liability on the Scott Defendants for a tragedy arising from forces legally controlled by others."

While the "SICKO MODE" rapper will be at the civil trials, a grand jury had previously ruled he and several organizers would not be criminally charged over the tragedy.

Travis Scott Previously Claimed He Was Not Responsible for What Happened

Elsewhere in the March document obtained by Rolling Stone, Daniel Petrocelli - who is leading Scott's attorneys - said the rapper was unaware of the crowd crush happening during his set.

"Like any other adrenaline-inducing diversion, music festivals must balance exhilaration with safety and security-but that balance is not the job of performing artists, even those involved in promoting and marketing performances," said Petrocelli. "Which only makes sense: Performing artists, even those who engage in certain promotional activities, have no inherent expertise or specialized knowledge in concert safety measures, venue security protocols, or site-design."

The upcoming civil trial will follow the lengthy questioning Scott that went through during a civil deposition on September 18, 2023.

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