Following the news that the family of 9-year-old Astroworld victim Ezra Blount rejected Travis Scott’s offer to pay for the child’s funeral expenses, it has now been revealed that four more families have come forward to deny the request as well.
According to Rolling Stone, the attorneys for the families of 21-year-old friends Jacob Jurinek and Franco Patino, 21-year-old Axel Acosta, and 14-year-old John Hilgert have all come forward to say that their clients have rejected Scott’s offer.
“It was not an offer [the Hilgerts] were going to seriously consider,” Richard Mithoff told the publication on behalf of John Hilgert’s family. “Of all the things this case is about, that’s the least of any concern. This family is set on making change and ensuring this never happens at a concert again. I find offering to pay for funerals frankly demeaning and really inappropriate to the magnitude of the tragedy that unfolded.”
Philip Corboy, the attorney for the Jurinek and Patino families, said that after a brief conversation with Scott’s new lawyer, they felt that the offer of covering the funeral expenses was merely the artist “trying to lessen the public outcry on his case.”
Corboy continued, “If he’s trying to impress upon the families that he’s sincere and has concern for them and realize that funerals can be expensive, what Scott’s team did is not the way to do it… You don’t get a piece of paper in the mail from a lawyer in Beverly Hills who says he represents Travis Scott. These families are raw right now; that lacks any personal touch.”
Tony Buzbee, who represents the family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta, outright said that he believed the gesture to be disingenuous and fodder for a positive press release.
“It’s bullshit,” he Buzbee said. “If you gave a shit about these families, you wouldn’t have to put out a press release for everyone to see saying he’s willing to pay for a funeral.”
Travis Scott, Drake, Live Nation, and several other festival organizers are facing a $2 billion lawsuit on behalf of 282 victims who were physically or mentally impacted by the tragedy.
