Lawyers Explain What Will Likely Happen to Travis Scott

Travis Scott is currently the subject of hundreds of lawsuits in connection with the deadly 2021 Astroworld Festival. Some lawyers who have looked over the case believe it will be hard to prove the Houston rapper is at fault.

To date, over $3 billion worth of lawsuits have reportedly been levied against Travis, Live Nation and other parties affiliated with the catastrophic show. “I think it’d be a stretch to put this on [Travis Scott],” Nick Rozansky, attorney at Brutzkus Gubner Rozansky Seror & Weber, who is unaffiliated with the case, told Yahoo Finance in a story published on Nov. 19.

Attorney Bryan Sullivan of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae also agreed with that assessment, specifically in the $750 million lawsuit recently filed by Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee on behalf of 125 victims. Sullivan, who is also unaffiliated with the case, believes proving Travis to be liable will be difficult in court because a plaintiff would have to prove Travis incited the violence directly. Therefore, things like past behavior and lyrical content are “not enough” to stand up in court. “You can be a very violent person in an area where there was a fight, but not have thrown a punch,” Sullivan said. “The law requires him to engage in specific conduct that incited the incidents…What did he do at Astroworld that night? That’s the question the courts will be asking.”

Sullivan concluded that Travis “likely will be dismissed from the case” as long as no more damning evidence comes to light.

While Travis may not see a major hit in his pockets from the lawsuits, Rozansky believes Travis may have a difficult time getting booked in the future without many stipulations. Instead of the venue or entertainment company footing the bill for additional security and special insurance, “all of those costs would be reallocated to Travis,” according to Rozansky.

In the wake of the tragic festival, which claimed 10 lives when a large section of the 50,000 people in attendance surged forward crushing dozens, Travis and his team have been doing what they can to address the situation. The rapper has refunded the paid attendees as well as paying for the funerals of those who died. He is also offering to pay for therapy for those who lived through the catastrophe.

An investigation into who is at fault is still ongoing. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña has come out and said Travis should have stopped the show once he saw the mass disruption in the crowd. Reps for the rapper have countered that Travis had no authority to end the show. Public Enemy’s Chuck D recently came to Travis’ defense, saying the fault of the disaster should not fall on the rapper.