Drake has been removed from the civil lawsuit over the Astroworld tragedy, but Travis Scott and Apple are still part of the legal action, according to KPRC 2 Houston.
This comes after motions for dismissal in the civil lawsuit were filed by several defendants in the wake of the 2021 incident in which 10 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in the crush of the crowd at a Houston concert headlined by Scott.
Scott, Apple (which streamed the concert), promoter Live Nation and Drake all requested to be dismissed from the lawsuits, claiming they had no control over security and safety at the event.
Judge Kristen Hawkins of Harris County, Texas denied claims by Scott and Apple to be dismissed from the lawsuit, but she did dismiss several other companies and at least one individual from the legal action, including Drake and Scott's label, Epic Records.
In a filing in March, Apple Inc. claimed that its role in the event was "limited to Travis Scott's performance, which was just one of many during the two-day event." The company also addressed a claim that one of its cameras for the livestream may have reduced space and obstructed the audience area, according to KPRC.
In his filing, Scott's attorneys claimed, "Performers are not expected to render special protection to the audience, nor to safeguard them from the rest of the crowd."
Drake appeared as a guest star at the festival during Scott's set. In the days following the tragedy, Drake wrote, "My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering. I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can, May God be with you all," per Pitchfork.
Drake cooperated with authorities and sat for a deposition related to the lawsuit last year. In March, his legal team requested that he be dropped from the lawsuits, noting that he "did not receive any security briefings, was not informed of any crowd control issues, injuries or deaths in the crowd, or any stop show orders at any time either before or during his 14-minute performance."
Those who are still part of the lawsuit include Scott's businesses Cactus Jack Enterprises LLC, LeFlame Enterprises Inc., as well as Apple, a ticketing company, and several security companies.
Last June, a grand jury in Harris County decided that Travis would not face criminal charges over the incident, although a police report on the incident seemed to put much of the responsibility for the tragedy on Scott and his representatives.
