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A wrongful death lawsuit filed in relation to the youngest victim of the Astroworld tragedy is set to go to civil trial in September.
Nine-year-old Ezra Blount was one of 10 people killed in the deadly crowd crush at the festival, which was headlined by Travis Scott at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, US.
Blount’s family is suing Scott as well as companies including event promoter Live Nation and Apple Inc., which livestreamed the November 2021 concert.
AP reports that State District Judge Kristen Hawkins scheduled jury selection to start on 10 September. Scott West, a lawyer for Blount’s family, told the judge they still planned to depose Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino before the trial. Rapino had previously been ordered to give testimony in the lawsuits brought against LN and others.
Live Nation attorney Neal Manne previously fought attempts to have Rapino questioned, arguing that messages dated from prior to the festival proved that the CEO had no involvement in the planning of Astroworld. But lawyers for the plaintiffs said Rapino had correspondence and conversations with a number of people involved in the festival in the immediate aftermath, and as such his testimony is relevant to the litigation.
The lawsuit is the last remaining wrongful death filing relating to the disaster after nine of the 10 cases were settled
At the latest hearing on Tuesday (14 May), Manne said he hoped an agreement could be reached regarding Rapino’s deposition, but added he might still appeal the issue to the Texas Supreme Court.
The lawsuit is the last remaining wrongful death filing pertaining to the disaster after nine of the 10 cases were settled out of court. All of those who died suffered from compression asphyxia. The defendants deny allegations of negligence, among other claims.
Judge Hawkins also scheduled the first trial related to the thousands of injury complaints filed over Astroworld. The trial, which will focus on seven cases, has been set for 15 October. Around 2,400 other injury cases are still pending.
Last year, a grand jury declined to file criminal charges against Scott or anyone else associated with the festival.
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