A judge issued a closure order Tuesday Travis Scott a concert hearing so that the case could be “heard in the courtroom and not on social media”, as dozens of lawyers representing hundreds of victims and their families met in court for the first time.
The tragedy of November 2021 The astroworld The festival left 10 dead and many more injured.
“This case should be heard in the courtroom, not on social media or in press releases or other statements to the media,” Judge Kristen Hawkins said.
Hawkins clarified her order by saying that lawyers can tell the media about factual issues that are happening in court, but she does not want lawyers to present their cases in court to public opinion and possibly influence jurors.
At Tuesday’s hearing, dozens of lawyers were in court to represent Scott’s ten fans who were killed and thousands others who were injured.
This was the first time the lawyers in nearly 500 cases had met in court after cases were consolidated before a single judge.
Most of Tuesday’s court hearing was spent discussing how cases will proceed, setting up a leadership structure to speak on behalf of lawyers for each country, and resolving disputes over evidence or other issues.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represents Ezra Blount, the youngest victim, said most of the victims killed or injured were black, but most of the lawyers representing them were white.
Ezra Blount, 9, was reportedly a big fan of rapper Travis Scott’s music and was sitting on his father’s shoulders when Scott’s performance began at NRG Park on November 5th.
He was the youngest of 10 people killed in the huge crowd.
“These African-American voices don’t seem to have much representation in court,” Crump said. “It simply came to our notice then. We are concerned that they have no voice.
Attorneys Ben Crump, left, representing the victim’s father, Ezra Blount, left, Neil Mann, representing Live Nation, right, and others were shown leaving the Astroworld trial for Judge Kristen Hawkins on Tuesday.
Judge Kristen Hawkins issued a closure order Tuesday during a Travis Scott concert hearing so the case could be “heard in court, not on social media” as dozens of lawyers representing hundreds of victims and their families , met in court for the first time.
9-year-old Ezra Blount from Dallas, Texas, was the last death in a deadly mob during Travis Scott’s performance at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston on Sunday – 10 days after he was put in a coma for medical reasons
In recent years, Crump has been a victim of police brutality and vigilance violence and has been a lawyer for the families of Traven Martin, Breona Taylor and George Floyd.
Hawkins told Crump that the problem was something “that has not gone unnoticed by the court … I would like this to be considered in the future.”
But Hawkins said she “will not choose someone’s adviser.” I know we have excellent lawyers in this room, and these lawyers come from all aspects of Harris County.
Neil Mann, who is the organizer of the Astroworld Live Nation festival, thanked Crump for highlighting the issue, saying: “I agree with him.”
Brent Coon, a lawyer who represents about 1,500 concertgoers and seeks $ 10 billion in damages, said after the hearing that he understood the judge’s purpose: account of the jury’s questions. ” ‘
“But this is a public import case for all the obvious reasons,” Koon said.
Hawkins said he planned to hold monthly hearings.
Until the next hearing, she asked lawyers to give her a breakdown of the various lawsuits into four categories: deaths, bodily injuries, brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Koon said it could be years before trials or agreements are reached.
At least two Houston police cops have been spotted holding their phones and filming Travis Scott’s deadly Astroworld concert 30 minutes after it was declared a mass casualty event.
The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Commission announced in December that it was investigating the role of Live Nation in the deadly concert.
Last month, Houston officials announced the creation of a new task force to improve the safety of major events in the Houston area.
Those killed in the concert are between 9 and 27 years old. Nearly 300 people were injured and taken to the scene, and 25 were taken to hospitals. The dead died of compression asphyxia.
Ezra was reportedly a big fan of rapper Travis Scott’s music and was sitting on his father’s shoulders when the countdown to Scott’s performance began at NRG Park on November 5th.
The two stayed close to the back of the crowd because his father, Treston Blount, thought it would be calmer, he told ABC 13.
But as soon as Scott came on stage, Treston said, people started pushing.
He lost consciousness and Ezra fell to the ground and was soon trampled by impatient concertgoers.
When Treston regained consciousness, he said he could not find Ezra anywhere and rushed to the medical tents on site and several hospitals.
Eventually, he said, he reported it to police and received a message from a police officer with a photo of his boy.
When he arrived at the hospital, he discovered that his son had suffered severe brain, kidney and liver damage after being “kicked, kicked, trampled and nearly crushed to death”, according to a lawsuit filed by his family against Scott and event organizer, Live Nation.
The Blount family is seeking at least $ 1 million in damages.
In a statement, the family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, said he was “committed to seeking answers and justice” on behalf of the family.
“The Blount family is grieving tonight over the inexplicable loss of their precious young son,” Crump said. “This should not have been the result of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyous holiday. Ezra’s death is absolutely heartbreaking.
An ambulance is seen in the crowd during the Astroworld Music Festival as Scott’s performance continues
Scott was widely criticized for continuing to play for 38 minutes after Houston police announced an incident of mass casualties
Video and photos obtained by TMZ show members of the Houston Police Department walking around quietly and even taking out their cell phones to record Scott’s performance after the fire chief announced a “mass casualty event” at 9:38 p.m. o’clock.
A set of photos with time stamps 21:57 shows police recording the performance of the rappers, 19 minutes after the statement of the boss, TMZ reported.
TMZ also received a video of police officers casually passing by the scene, shot at 10:02 p.m., 25 minutes after the mass casualties were announced.
Asked how the concert ended and why Scott was able to complete his set, the chief said investigators were still investigating the details during a press conference on Wednesday.
“I don’t know and this is part of the investigation,” he told reporters, adding: “We searched and the deadlines shifted, so we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, let’s just wait.” this is part of the investigation.
Finner, who said he had not had a close relationship with Scott and had only met him twice, said whether or not the show continued did not depend on the police department.
“The authorities can stop the show – we’re not holding the plug, are we?” But it’s always in the plan, there’s always a discussion about how this is going to happen, and we’ve had these discussions with the promoters, “Finner said.
“The main authority for ending the show is with the production and the artist,” he added.
Houston police officer filmed helping the crowd at Astroworld’s deadly concert last Friday
Scott was widely criticized for continuing to play for 38 minutes after Houston police announced an incident of mass casualties and for attending a party with fellow rapper Drake in the hours after the tragedy.
But Scott’s lawyer, Ed McPherson, told the DailyMail.com that the rapper stopped the show when he spotted fans in trouble and wore a headset during the concert, which limited what he could hear.
McPherson also revealed that Scott was not allowed to stop the show on his own due to a security protocol that put the decision in the hands of the producers. He said that when he was told to stop, he did.
McPherson said: “There are very few things you can see [from the stage]. You are up to perform. Your task is to entertain the crowd and make the crowd go.
“You can’t see these things [crowd trouble]. You certainly can’t hear anything. It was the middle of the night and it complicates things on stage. Everything you see is black in front of you.
Scott issued a statement after the tragedy, saying he was “absolutely devastated” by the loss of life.
The Houston native continued: “Prayer prayers are for families and all those affected by what happened at the Astroworld Festival.
Houston Police have my full support as they continue to investigate the tragic loss of life.
“I am committed to working with the Houston community to heal and support families in need.”