A documentary on the 2021 Astroworld Festival is set to be released despite concerns from lawyers involved in the ongoing litigation stemming from the tragic event.
According to reports, the documentary, which covers the experiences of panicked concertgoers at the Houston music festival where 10 people lost their lives, is set to be released Friday (April 29). Lawyers representing LiveNation, the company behind the festival and is being sued, expressed concern about the documentary and the potential impact of such publicity.
Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy could "taint the jury pool," lawyers for the company argued. They also said that one of the lawyers who filed a lawsuit against them also co-produced the documentary, which violates the gag order in place.
The film's creator, Charlie Minn, believes he made a "balanced" film that attempts to show viewers what happened on November 5, 2021.
"My job is to make the truthful, honest, sincere documentary from the victim's point of view," Minn told The Associated Press. "We need to know about these stories to prevent it from happening again."
An estimated 500 lawsuits have been filed related to the Festival which was headlined by Travis Scott. Officials said that the 10 victims died from compression asphyxia as hundreds in the crowd surged the stage.
In an emailed statement, attorneys representing Travis said they are not sure if the rapper has seen the documentary and referred to LiveNation's concerns about its released.
"Mr. Scott remains focused on his philanthropic work in his hometown of Houston and in lower-income communities of color across the country, both of which are longstanding efforts" the rapper's attorney's statement reads.
Lawyers representing the families of the 10 victims accused Travis of violating the gag order after announcing his Project HEAL initiative that seeks to address safety at large events.
Rick Ramos, one of the lawyers representing concertgoers, is listed as a co-producer of the film, though it's not clear how the attorney benefits. Some legal experts say regardless of the benefits, there are legal ethical concerns.
Minn said Ramos' involvement was never hidden.
"People have to watch the film and judge it for what it is," Minn said.
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