The parents of a 14-year-old boy who died on November 5 at the Astroworld Festival in Houston filed a lawsuit against Travis Scott this week. The complaint alleges gross negligence on the part of Mr. Scott and the concert’s promoters.A high school freshman, John Hilgert, was one of the ten young people who died at the ill-fated concert, which was later declared a mass casualty event.
John’s father, Chris Hilgert, said in a press release announcing the suit: “The pain of our loss from our son John not making it home alive from an event such as this is intolerable. 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 lawsuit, filed on November 24, alleges gross negligence on behalf of Mr. Scott and other Astroworld organizers and promoters, which include Live Nation and Scoremore.
Representatives for Scott, Live Nation, and Scoremore did not immediately return a request from Insider.com for comment about the suit on Sunday, November 28.
Chris Hilgert added: “If this lawsuit prevents even one family from having to go through the extreme pain and anguish that we have endured, then it is the least we can do to honor John’s memory.”
150 Astroworld ConcertLawsuits
Travis Scott and others responsible for the concert have been hit with roughly 150 lawsuits so far, the Houston Chronicle has reported, with claims for damages rising to more than $3 billion.
The lawsuit from the Hilgerts demands punitive damages, claiming John Hilgert was in physical and mental pain leading up to his death, while his parents suffered emotional pain following the death of their child. The suit also seeks changes to the ways concerts like Astroworld are organized, including improvements to security and medical facilities.
Plaintiff: Poor Crowd Design, Event Execution, Response
In his lawsuit press release, Chris Hilgert added: “Our sole aim in filing this lawsuit is to prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again at a live concert. 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 (who) were injured.”
Prior Shaw Concert Incidents presaged Houston Tragedy
Prior concerts featuring Travis Shaw were also fraught with peril for concertgoers. Previous infamous events might have presaged the Houston tragedy on November 5 of this year. Mr. Scott – whose real name is Jacques Berman Webster – faced two previous charges for inciting crowds to behave badly at his concerts. The rapper pleaded guilty in 2015 and 2017 to charges stemming from accusations that he enticed crowds into behave dangerously at two different shows.
Jacques Berman Webster was sentenced in 2015 to one year of court supervision after pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges at a Chicago Lollapalooza music festival. In Chicago, the rapper directed crowds to vault security barricades. Though nobody was injured in that incident, three people were hurt at the 2019 Astroworld festival after they were trampled outside the rapper’s show. In what would presage the 2021 Houston tragedy, three were taken to a local hospital after getting trampled at that previous Houston concert.
RELATED
- Eight Killed at Astroworld Music Fest
- Class Action Lawsuit filed over Canceled Astroworld Concert
- Astroworld Festival Lawsuits Filed
- Eight killed at Astroworld Music Fest
by Matthews & Associates
