After his performance at the tragic Astroworld festival in 2021, Drake has been absolved of any legal responsibility in a lawsuit centered around his alleged involvement in the event.
According to court documents obtained by USA TODAY on Thursday, the Harris County District Court of the 11th civil district granted Drake’s motion for a summary judgment in the case and dismissed all claims against him by the plaintiffs and intervenors in the multidistrict litigation.
This decision comes after Drake filed a motion in March seeking to be removed from the lawsuit, which was primarily focused on rapper Travis Scott, who was the main organizer of the festival. While Drake was cleared from the lawsuit, other defendants such as Apple and Scott’s company Cactus Jack Enterprises were not granted dismissal.
Drake’s attorneys argued in their motion that the rapper had no involvement in the planning of the festival and was not aware of any safety concerns for attendees before his performance. They emphasized that Drake did not receive any security briefings or information about crowd control issues or injuries during his 14-minute performance at the event.
Following the tragic incident at Astroworld, Drake expressed his condolences and grief for the victims and their families in a statement on Instagram. He described the event as a “devastating tragedy” and pledged to pray for all those affected while offering his support in any way he could.
The Astroworld festival, which took place on November 5, 2021, resulted in the deaths of 10 concertgoers and injuries to hundreds more due to overcrowding and insufficient security measures. Despite legal battles and investigations, Travis Scott was cleared of criminal charges related to the event in June 2023.
The aftermath of Astroworld has led to numerous lawsuits, with over 500 filed in connection to the deadly concert, alleging negligence and gross negligence against organizers and other parties involved in the event’s planning and execution.
