Not unexpected, at least to me.
The family of the youngest concertgoer killed at the 2021 Astroworld Festival has settled with rapper Travis Scott, Apple, LiveNation and other companies on the heels of similar agreements in other fatality lawsuits, a lawyer for the family said.
Scott West, lawyer for the family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, said his clients reached a confidential settlement with the defendants this week and that the settlement would be shared Friday with the court. The next hearing is scheduled for June 3.
“The family is happy to resolve its claim against all defendants following the death of their son, Ezra,” West said. “They look forward to continuing the process of healing and never forgetting.
[…]
West had anticipated earlier this month that his case would proceed to trial following recent settlements that left him with the lone fatality case stemming from the deadly concert. The trial date slotted for September will likely be reserved for one of the hundreds of injury cases from the same show, he said.
See here for the previous update. I skipped the two paragraphs in the story that described how this young man died. It’s exactly as upsetting as you think, so click with caution. My guess is that none of the defendants wanted to face the public testimony of these deaths, and that’s why they all settled once it was clear that they were not getting out of the lawsuits. I understand that strategy, and I wonder if the same will apply to the wrongful injury suits that will soon follow. We’ll know soon enough.