HOUSTON, Texas – The Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on Oct. 1, 2017, was the last major tragedy at a concert in the United States.
When images and details began emerging from the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival, Houston attorney Muhammad “Mo” Aziz “immediately” went back in time.
The Las Vegas mass shooting left over 60 people dead and led to a mass civil action in court. Aziz represented 1,300 victims in a case that settled for $800,000,000 dollars.
RELATED: Grandmother who attended Astroworld Festival says she bought ‘death ticket’
How does Aziz – a partner at the firm Abraham Watkins - view the Astroworld case?
“This one is extremely complex,” said Aziz, who tells KPRC 2 Investigates he and his team have over 40 clients.
Aziz says while the legal approach for the cases may resemble the Vegas concert, the deaths, and injuries sustained at the Astroworld Festival have more parties involved and a crowd much different than the one in Las Vegas.
“Another big difference between that crowd and this one is the age,” he said. “These people are younger.”
RELATED: Travis Scott’s attorney says ‘finger-pointing needs to stop’
Dallas-based attorney Steven Badger has represented insurance companies in civil cases where there were massive injuries and death.
Badger says the Astroworld Festival will likely be a mass action case, and it will be comprised of four stages beginning with consolidation.
“Everything will be consolidated to ensure that it proceeds more smoothly,” said Badger. “Then you will have coordination, everything will be coordinated. Then we will have an evaluation, all the matters will be evaluated. And then lastly we will have [a] resolution. "
The bottom line for Badger: “Companies purchase liability insurance to address situations like this.”
A resolution in these instances routinely translates to a big settlement which is what experts expect to happen in this case.
As for those who are potentially being sued? Aziz says he and his team have over 50 letters to potential defendants.
RELATED: KPRC 2 Investigates: HFD’s Official Astroworld Concert Activity Log