LAS VEGAS (CelebrityAccess) – Live Nation (LN) is facing a negligence and breach of contract lawsuit from three fans who say they were “dragged, trampled, and smashed” during a crowd rush at the Lovers & Friends Festival held in Las Vegas, during a stampede triggered by false reports of gunfire.
Last week, San Bernardino, CA residents Carla and James Thomas and Arizona resident Aaliyah Aguilar submitted a complaint to California federal court. The complaint, obtained by Billboard, alleges that LN had “failed to take basic, reasonable steps” to protect them from such an incident.
“Plaintiffs screamed for help from the event organizers and security, but none came,” attorneys for the three attendees wrote in the lawsuit. “Plaintiffs screamed for emergency medical care for their injuries, but none came.”
The two-day Lovers & Friends Festival was held over a weekend in May 2022 and featured several R&B and rap artists, including Ne-Yo, Ludacris, and Usher. During Saturday morning’s performance, many panicked fans fled the venue over rumors of shots being fired. Police later released a statement saying there was no evidence that a shooting ever took place.
This isn’t the first false report of gunfire that the industry has seen. Fans were hurt during gunfire panic at a 2017 Future concert in Brooklyn, and just last month, three fans were killed in Western NY during a GloRilla concert when a stampede occurred sparked by fears of a shooter in the crowd.
In their lawsuit, the Plaintiffs claimed that the rush was triggered by a “loud noise,” causing a “sea of people” to surge toward them and during the incident, it caused them “serious injuries” and emotional distress.
In addition to LN, Ticketmaster’s Front Gate, the festival’s security company, and the Las Vegas Festival Grounds owner Phil Ruffin are named in the lawsuit. In addition to LN, the other festival organizers, Bobby Dee Presents and rapper Snoop Dogg, were not listed.
The 2023 Lovers & Friends Festival, now organized by C3 Presents will take place at the same location on May 6. Just this week, festival organizers released more tickets to the sold-out festival – set to go on sale today (April 12) at 10 am PST. Performers include Mariah Carey, Usher, Missy Elliott, Pitbull, Christina Aguilera, 50 Cent, Boyz II Men, Nelly, Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, Miguel, and many more.
