Judge dismisses charges against rapper Drake over deadly Astroworld concert

HOUSTON– Hip-hop artist Drake has been dismissed from a lawsuit over the deadly Astroworld 2021 festival in Houston, during which 10 people were killed, a judge ruled.

Drake was a special guest of rap superstar Travis Scott, who headlined the festival. He performed with Scott at the end of the concert on November 5, 2021, when the crowd was surging and attendees were packed so tightly that many couldn’t breathe or move their arms or legs. The authorities and festival organizers were trying to stop the show.

The families of the 10 people who died during the concert, as well as hundreds of people who were injured, have sued Drake, Scott and Live Nation – the festival’s promoter – along with dozens of other people and entities.

Many of those who were sued, including Drake and Scott, asked District Judge Kristen Hawkins to dismiss the lawsuits against them. On Wednesday, Hawkins dismissed Drake from the case in a brief order.

Lawyers for Drake, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, argued during an April 1 court hearing in Houston that he was not involved in organizing the concert and did not was therefore not responsible for the deaths and injuries that occurred.

In a November deposition in Toronto, the Canadian rapper said that moments before he went on stage, no one told him that people in the crowd were suffering cardiac or other attacks. injuries. He said that when he was on stage, the crowd seemed blurry and he couldn’t make out any details.

During his deposition, Drake was shown a video taken by the youngest victim, 9-year-old Ezra Blount, while he was sitting on his father’s shoulders.

“Do you see the panic in these people’s eyes? a lawyer questioned Drake about the video.

“Yes, sir,” the rapper replied.

Later, when asked by a lawyer for Blount’s family whether it would be important for him to hear from those who organized the concert about why Blount died, Drake replied, “I think I would want some answers about what happened, yes.”

On Monday, Hawkins fired seven companies and individuals being sued. But it rejected motions to dismiss filed by 10 other companies and individuals, including Apple Inc., which produced a livestream of the concert, and two companies associated with Scott. Hawkins was scheduled to hear other motions to dismiss Monday, including one related to Scott as an individual.

Following an investigation by Houston police, no charges were filed against Scott. In June, a grand jury declined to indict him and five others on any criminal charges related to the deadly concert. Police Chief Troy Finner declined to say what the overall conclusion of his agency’s investigation was.

In July, police released their nearly 1,300-page investigation report in which festival organizers outlined problems and warned of possible deadly consequences.

Those killed, aged 9 to 27, died from compression asphyxia, which one expert compared to being run over by a car.

The first trial of the charges is scheduled for May 6.

Some lawsuits have since been settled, including those filed by the families of four of those killed at the concert. The most recent settlement involving a person who was killed was announced in a court filing on Feb. 5, with attorneys for the family of Rodolfo “Rudy” Peña, 23, saying they had settled their case.

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