By Blessing Udeobasi
The Texas Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has granted a motion for nearly 400 lawsuits, filed against rapper Travis Scott to combine litigation for a single judge.
The lawsuits were filed by organisers and victims against Travis Scott and Live Nation following the Astroworld music festival stampede which left 10 dead and hundreds injured.
As reported by People.com, the lawsuit will represent nearly 2,800 victims who are seeking billions in damages and alleging negligence in the planning and managing of the music festival.
According to Billboard reports, the Texas state judge who will handle this case is yet to be named. Although both sides requested Judge Lauren Reeder in the joint filing, it is still unclear why.
During the music festival which took place in November last year, several people lost their lives and many others got injured following a stampede and the rapper has since denied responsibility.
In an interview with media personality Charlamagne Tha God on his YouTube channel, the 30-year-old rapper maintained that he had no idea there were people injured while the concert was ongoing adding that he never knew what had happened until a few minutes to the press conference after the show when he was told about the full details.
When asked if he was the one who hired the staff that was involved in planning the show, he said: “As an artiste you just do the creative. And we just trust the professionals to make sure people are taken care of and leave safely. I can control what I can on stage and have professionals control what they can with the crowd.”
