On Monday, Travis Scott faced questioning in Houston, Texas, regarding his association with the numerous lawsuits stemming from the tragic 2021 Astroworld Festival.
The deposition, which could span two days, has led Scott’s team to craft an official statement. Ted Anastasiou, speaking for Scott, said, “While Travis Scott’s deposition is a standard legal procedure, the media’s fixation on him is not, especially after he was cleared of any wrongdoing by comprehensive governmental inquiries, like those by the Houston Police Department. Travis continues cooperating with legal authorities and remains dedicated to his ‘Utopia’ album tour and philanthropic work for vulnerable communities.”
This investigation marks the first time Scott has faced questioning by lawyers about the slew of lawsuits since the November 2021 incident. The Astroworld disaster resulted in ten fatalities, with the cause of death for all being “compression asphyxia,” and the ages of the deceased ranging from 9-27, as Fox News Digital’s documents have shown.
A judge previously announced that the inaugural trial connected to the event would commence on May 6, 2024. By April, there were around 1,500 ongoing cases associated with the incident. Many of these suits target Scott and Live Nation, the festival promoter. Some have already settled.
Kent Schaffer, Scott’s attorney, highlighted that a Houston grand jury decided against indicting the “Sicko Mode” artist in June. “Today’s outcome by the Harris County District Attorney reinforces our stance that Travis Scott wasn’t at fault for the Astroworld calamity,” stated Schaffer.
He added, “Extensive reporting and governmental studies have consistently placed the responsibility of event safety on the organizers, not the artists. Travis Scott, unfortunately, has been wrongly targeted even though he halted his performance thrice, unaware of the actual situation. It’s crucial to shift our focus to preventing such heart-wrenching incidents in the future.”
The audience was already densely packed when Scott, born Jacques Bermon Webster, concluded the 2021 Astroworld Music Festival. Some attendees managed to sneak in during the day, resulting in around 50,000 attendees. The event at NRG Park saw more than 300 individuals receiving medical attention at an on-site field hospital, while a reported crowd surge led to a minimum of 13 hospitalizations.
Though criticized for not halting the performance, Scott has consistently maintained that he was oblivious to the severity of the situation from his stage position and was only informed post-performance.
