The family of a 14-year-old teen killed at Travis Scott’s deadly Astroworld concert earlier this month are reportedly suing the rapper and others for $1 million.
via NYP:
Freshman high schooler John Hilgert was the second youngest of 10 victims to die after chaos broke out causing a crush at the opening night of the music festival in Houston, Texas on Nov. 5.
The teenager’s parents, Chris and Nichole Hilgert, filed suit Wednesday against Scott, event organizer Live Nation Worldwide and others for “gross negligence” and “reckless disregard” for Hilgert’s safety resulting in his death, according to a report by People.
“The pain of our loss from our son John not making it home alive from an event such as this is intolerable,” the dad said in a statement, according to the outlet. “He was a beautiful young man who simply wanted to enjoy his first concert event with friends, whom he treasured spending time with more than anything else.”
The parents say their goal is to ensure things change and new safety measures are put into place so that a tragic event like this doesn’t occur again.
“This pain should never be felt by anyone over a loved one attending a live concert,” Chris said.
“There is no excuse for the poor crowd design, event execution and lack of response that was exercised at this festival that resulted in the tragic death of our son and nine others along with scores of other people that were innocently injured,” the father’s statement continued.
The defendants “failed in their duty to protect the health, safety and lives of those in attendance at the concert,” alleges the suit — which identifies Hilgert by his initials, J.W.H — according to the outlet.
Specifically, the suit is seeking to hold them accountable for “failure to provide adequate security personnel to implement crowd control measures, proper barricades, and failure to provide a sufficient amount of emergency medical support,” the filing claims, according to the report.
A similar suit was also filed by Adam and Jennifer Cox, the parents of Hilgert’s friend who was injured at the concert and who was identified in court papers as B.C., People reported.
Richard Mithoff, a lawyer for both families, said “No one should die going to a concert,” the outlet reported.
“We continue to support and assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve, and we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time,” Live Nation said in a statement to The Post.
The new cases are among some 150 lawsuits brought by roughly 600 people who claim they were injured at the ill-fated event, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle.
Last week, 282 victims of the concert filed a $2 billion lawsuit against Scott, Drake, Live Nation, Apple Music and NRG Stadium — where the event was held — claiming they “cut corners, cut costs, and put attendees at risk,” their lawyer Thomas Henry alleged.
Another 125 victims — including the family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta Avila who died in the incident — filed a $750 million lawsuit for loss of mental and physical health and loss of human life.
Earlier this week, two concert security guards — Jackson Bush and his uncle Samuel Bush — filed a $1 million suit claiming the artist and the organizers put “greed” before safety.
Lawyers representing the victims have advised their clients not to accept Scott’s offer to pay for the costs of funerals and medical expenses as they await to see how much insurance coverage the defendants have, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Victim lawyers have said they worry that some of the high-damages suits could force some of the defendant companies into bankruptcy which could ultimately reduce the payouts that victims could receive, the outlet reported.
Live Nation has hired high-powered law firm Susman Godfrey — which has repped corporate giants like Walmart — to defend them in the case, the news site reported.
Victim lawyer Chad Pinkerton — who reps some 75 victims — says this signals “that the company knows it is in deep trouble and is preparing for a bet-the-company litigation fight,” the Chronicle reported.
Travis’ lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Travis and his lawyers have previously said that the performer wasn’t aware that people were being crushed claiming that he would have stopped the concert if he’d known.
It’s going to be a rough 2022 for Mr. Weber.
