Photo Credit: Adi Goldstein
The lawsuit over Drakeo the Ruler’s backstage murder during the Once Upon a Time music festival in Los Angeles will move forward. Here’s the latest.
A judge sided with Drakeo’s brother, saying that Live Nation’s assumption of no ‘prior similar attack’ does not negate liability and emotional distress. The lawsuit was filed against Live Nation last year after the rapper was stabbed to death backstage. The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation knew Drakeo the Ruler faced credible threats to his life and “failed to implement proper safety procedures.”
It alleges that Live Nation had a responsibility to beef up security for the festival because it was “known to attract violent gang members and unruly crowds at their concerts and shows. Live Nation responded by saying that no similar incidents occurred at the Banc of California Stadium, so it had no reason to believe anything like that could happen. It also alleges that neither Drakeo nor his team requested more security for the night.
The judge overseeing the lawsuit from both the rapper’s brother, mother, and son ruled that the plaintiffs pleaded sufficient facts to move the case forward to trial. “Although the occurrence of a mob/gang attack may have occurred for the first time, defendants may nevertheless be held liable if the facts show that the danger was foreseeable and/or preventable,” LA County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Orozco writes in her ruling.
“The fact that defendants knew security would be needed for the event supports the finding that the performing artists’ safety was a concern for defendants and foreseeable to defendants,” she continues. The lack of adequate search of persons entering backstage, vehicles entering, and no security for the VIP area could be enough to show negligence on Live Nation’s part.
“Plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that defendants breached a duty in failing to act in stopping the mob/gang attack once it began, Judge Orozco continues.