A fatal backstage shooting at a 2014 show in Mountain View featuring Jeezy on the lineup is not the responsibility of Live Nation, a California Court of Appeal ruling from this week states.
Per multiple reports, including this one fromBillboard, the Tuesday ruling was in connection with a wrongful death lawsuit initially brought against the company by the family of the victim in the shooting, Eric Johnson Jr. The show took place in August 2014 and was headlined by Wiz Khalifa, while Jeezy was also on the lineup. Subsequent weapons-related charges against Jeezy and others, notably, were also later dismissed. TMZ said at the time that DNA showed neither Jeezy nor others initially charged had touched the gun in question.
As Jeezy told the outlet in December 2014, he knew from the start that the allegations were not based on the “facts” of what transpired, adding that he was “relieved that the truth has prevailed.”
As for the latest, the ruling states that reports didn’t show that “any of the artists or their entourages engaged in or posed any danger of violence” on the tour. Furthermore, judges said, an attack of this type was “not a foreseeable occurrence” for Live Nation in terms of prevention.
Complex has reached out to a rep for Live Nation, as well as an attorney for the Johnson family, for comment. This story may be updated.
Live Nation is facing separate legal action in connection with the fatal stabbing of Drakeo the Ruler, who was killed amid Once Upon a Time in LA festivities in December 2021. Drakeo’s family has argued that inadequate security measures ultimately contributed to his death, with a judge turning down an initial effort from Live Nation to have the wrongful death case tossed out earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the combined entity of Live Nation and Ticketmaster is currently at the center of a tickets-based controversy following a widely criticized Taylor Swift presale mess.
