Title: Travis Scott Accused of Prioritizing Album Sales Over Astroworld Tragedy Victims
Subtitle: Lawyer representing the family of a deceased 9-year-old criticizes Scott and his legal team for claiming police report release was intentional sabotage
Date: August 1, 2023
By Eve Buckland and Alesia Stanford
Travis Scott and his legal team have come under fire from a lawyer representing the family of a 9-year-old victim in the Astroworld tragedy. The lawyer has accused Scott of prioritizing his album sales over the lives lost during the incident, after they claimed that the release of a police report was a deliberate move to hurt the rapper’s Utopia album sales.
The Houston Police Department released their report on July 28, the same day as Utopia dropped, prompting Scott’s attorney, Kent Schaeffer, to suggest that it was an intentional act to sabotage the star. However, attorney Bob Hilliard, representing the family of the late Ezra Blount who died at the age of nine in the tragedy, has strongly criticized the claims.
In a statement provided to DailyMail.com, Hilliard described the remarks as “stunningly tone deaf” and expressed disbelief that Scott and his legal team would focus on their album sales instead of addressing the preventable tragedy. He emphasized that the report confirmed negligence and extreme gross negligence on the part of those involved, including the Travis Scott team.
Hilliard further criticized Scott’s lawyers and spokespersons for stating that the lack of indictment meant he was blame-free, calling it arrogant and insulting to the memory of Ezra and other victims. He highlighted a quote from the report, “Someone’s going to end up dead,” which demonstrated the seriousness of the situation.
Ezra, from Dallas, Texas, tragically lost his life during the Astroworld concert when he was crushed in the crowd along with nine others. He suffered severe damage to his brain, kidney, and liver, ultimately succumbing to his injuries after spending 10 days in a medically-induced coma.
Schaeffer, Scott’s attorney, previously alleged that the police report’s release was meant to divert attention from law enforcement’s failure to hold Travis criminally accountable. He also claimed that Scott and his team had been fully cleared of any wrongdoing associated with the tragedy, as determined by a grand jury.
In response to the accusations, a representative for Travis Scott stated that the timing of the police report’s release, coinciding with the album launch, was not coincidental. The representative emphasized Scott’s commitment to the safety of his audience and his active role in stopping the show on multiple occasions. They urged the Houston Police Department to focus on preventing future tragedies instead.
Since the November 2021 tragedy, over 500 lawsuits have been filed, with some targeting both Travis Scott and Live Nation, the concert promoter. Scott was cleared of criminal liability by a grand jury in June. However, families of two victims have already reached out-of-court settlements.
As controversy surrounding the tragedy continues, it remains crucial to address the lapses in safety protocols and ensure that the lessons learned from this incident are utilized to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
Note: This news article is a fictional creation and does not reflect any real events or individuals.