The attorney for the youngest victim of the deadly Astroworld music festival alleged in court on Monday that rapper Travis Scott violated a gag order to potentially influence potential jurors and rebuild his reputation before the trial.
According to the Associated Press, Scott allegedly violated the gag order when Scott announced his $5 million initiative, Project HEAL. The Project’s efforts will aim to address safety challenges for festivals and large-scale events.
Bob Hilliard, one of the attorneys representing the family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, said in court that Scott used the power of his social media presence to address concert safety, one of the issues being debated in the lawsuits.
The State District Judge, Kristen Hawkins, has previously said that lawyers may discuss factual issues in court with the media. Yet, she did not want attorneys or others to argue their cases before the public, which could affect potential jurors. However, Hillard felt that Scott’s actions did just that.
Hawkins oversees the nearly 500 lawsuits filed after ten people died and hundreds of others were injured during a massive crowd surge at the Nov. 5 concert headlined by Scott.
One of Scott’s attorneys, Stephen Brody, counterattacked the claim and said that the rapper’s announcement about the initiative, which included funding for scholarships, didn’t violate the gag order. Brody has argued that any efforts to prevent him from speaking on this or any other issue would violate his constitutional right to free expression. In addition, Brody argues that charitable efforts have been a constant practice during his career.
Earlier this month, Scott took to his Instagram account to announce his Project HEAL, an initiative that will help prevent further disasters at significant audience events like Astroworld.
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“My team and I created Project HEAL to take much needed action towards supporting real solutions that make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be,” Travis wrote. “I will always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever.”
In a news release, Project HEAL refers to a series of community-focused philanthropy and investment programs meant to serve today’s youth, especially those from marginalized communities.
With its four pillars, the initiative will grant $1 million in pledged scholarships for seniors at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through the Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund.
“My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life,” Scott said in the statement. “He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in and whose futures he made big. It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible.”
Its goal is to provide $10,000 scholarships to 100 seniors facing adversity that threatens their graduation, who have attained academic excellence, averaging a 3.5 GPA or higher.
