HOUISTON – Nearly a month after the fatal Astroworld Festival concert, the number of lawsuits stemming from the tragedy continues to rise.
On Nov. 24, the family of a Houston 14-year-old killed at the Astroworld Festival concert filed a wrongful death lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott, Live Nation entertainment company, concert promoter ScoreMore and other entities involved in the event’s promotion and security.
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The suit filed by the family of Memorial High School student John Hilgert is one of over 250 complaints against Scott and event organizers.
Hilgert is one of 10 concert-goers who died from injuries sustained when a crowd of some 50,000 attendees surged toward the stage ahead of Scott’s performance.
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“No one should die going to a concert,” said attorney Richard Mithoff, who represents John’s parents, Chris and Nichole Hilgert.
As with several of the other lawsuits, the Hilgert family’s complaint, filed in Harris County District Court, claims negligence on the part of the defendants.
“Defendants egregiously failed in their duty to protect the health, safety and lives of those in attendance at the concert, including but not limited to the failure to provide adequate security personnel to implement crowd control measures, proper barricades, and the failure to provide a sufficient amount of emergency medical support,” the suit reads.
Chris and Nichole Hilgert said they want to see changes in the way concerts are organized.
“The pain of our loss from our son John not making it home alive from an event such as this is intolerable,” said Chris Hilgert. “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. This pain should never be felt by anyone over a loved one attending a live concert. Our sole aim in filing this lawsuit is to prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again at a live concert.”
A criminal investigation into the mass casualty event is ongoing. Scott, a Houston native, launched the Astroworld festival in 2018.
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