LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – On Wednesday (January 11), Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yolanda Orozco rejected Live Nation’s (LN) first attempt to end a wrongful death lawsuit over the murder of Drakeo the Ruler (born Darrell Caldwell).
The rapper was stabbed to death backstage during a brawl at the “Once Upon a Time” festival held at the Banc of California Stadium on December 18, 2021. Judge Orozco ruled that the late rapper’s family could have a valid case against LN – if the allegations outlined in the lawsuit could be proven true. If so, it would make the concert goliath liable for Drakeo’s murder.
On February 25, 2022, Drakeo’s brother, Ralfy The Plug (born Devante Caldwell), filed papers suing the promoters behind the festival where his brother was murdered. The lawsuit, reported by TMZ, details the “violent mob attack” that took place after his brother’s arrival at the venue. Additionally, Ralfy states that his brother made entry via a pair of checkpoints that he says were not secure enough.
Rolling Stone reports additional information, noting that the suit is from Ralfy and other Stinc Team members. The involved parties in the case allege that negligence by the promoters is to blame for Drakeo’s death and the “severe physical and emotional harm” they faced.
LN argued that the mob attack on the rapper was a unique tragedy and nothing any promoter could have “foreseen” in planning the evening. Judge Orozco rejected that reasoning.
“The lawsuit sufficiently alleges that security was lax at the second checkpoint and that despite the presence of security guards and metal detectors, some vehicles were not adequately searched or not searched at all, thus allowing the assailants to enter the ‘all-access VIP’ area, Jude Orozco wrote in the ruling.
The ruling on Wednesday allows the case to move forward, where Drakeo’s family can gather evidence. But, in the trial, the burden of proof is on them to prove their allegations are true.
On February 5, 2022, Tianna Purtue – the mother of Drakeo’s 5-year-old son, Caiden Caldwell, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Caiden’s behalf against LN. The official filing comes less than a week after Drakeo’s family announced plans to do precisely that. The suit alleges Live Nation was “completely knowledgeable of the potential dangers posed to both their guests and the performers they hired based on numerous past incidents of violence and death at their hip-hop events.”
Rolling Stone reports Purtue’s lawsuit is asking for $60M in damages. There has yet to be any word on the status of that lawsuit.
You can read the Judge’s ruling below.
Caldwell v. Live Nation by Billboard
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