Insurer seeks $3.5M from Astroworld Festival organizers
Federal Insurance names 17 defendants, including ScoreMore Holdings LLC, a Texas-based festival production, concert promotion and artist management company.
The insurance company for a concert equipment vendor filed an at least $3.5 million claim against Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and other defendants allegedly responsible for the Nov. 5, 2021, mass casualty event at Astroworld Festival in Texas.
Federal Insurance Co., a Chubb subsidiary, filed suit in Harris County district court as subrogee to Fuse Technical Group LLC, a vendor that installed lighting and video equipment for the festival at NRG Park.
In the months following the disaster, hundreds of lawsuits on behalf of thousands of victims, including 10 concertgoers who were crushed to death, emerged against the concert promoters and a few performers.
On Feb. 15, 2022, a multidistrict litigation panel consolidated the lawsuits into one, and assigned the litigation to Harris County 11th District Court Judge Kristen Hawkins. Since then, the court has been presiding over discovery.
Federal Insurance names 17 defendants, including ScoreMore Holdings LLC, a Texas-based festival production, concert promotion and artist management company. Included in ScoreMore’s portfolio are the rights to produce the annual Astroworld Festival.
The complaint states Fuse entered a contractor agreement on Sept. 14, 2021, with ScoreMore Holdings LLC to provide lighting and video equipment services to the festival.
On Nov. 5, an alleged massive crowd-control failure led to 10 deaths and thousands of injuries. First responders declared a mass casualty event, and enforced a temporary restraining order that barred vendors from removing any equipment while an investigation was conducted, the complaint states.
As a direct result of the defendants’ alleged failures, Fuse was forced to leave its equipment vulnerable to the elements from Nov. 5 to Dec. 10, 2021. The equipment “was severely and irreparably damaged by weather occurrences, after Fuse was ordered pursuant to a temporary restraining order to not remove their equipment,” the complaint claimed.
Fuse made a claim to Federal Insurance, which is being honored, the insurer states.
“Federal has paid Fuse $2,936,944 for damage to personal property … though the adjustment is not nearly complete at this time and this number is expected to reach in excess of $3.5 million,” the complaint states.
Federal Insurance is represented by Edward Ordonez and Alexander Getter of the Dallas firm Meaders & Alfaro.
Causes of action include negligence in hiring, training and supervision, and gross negligence.
The defendants have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
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