Hip-hop artist Drake has been dismissed from a lawsuit over the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston in which 10 people were killed, a judge ruled. Drake was a special guest of rapper Travis Scott, who headlined the festival. He performed with Scott at the end of the Nov. 5, 2021, concert as the crowd surged and attendees were packed so tightly that many could not breathe or move their arms or legs. Authorities and festival organizers were trying to shut down the show. The families of the 10 people who died during the concert, as well as hundreds who were injured, sued Drake, Scott and Live Nation -- the festival's promoter -- as well as dozens of other individuals and entities. Many of those who were sued, including Drake and Scott, have asked state District Judge Kristen Hawkins to dismiss the lawsuits against them. Hawkins dismissed Drake from the case in a brief order Wednesday. Lawyers for Drake, 37, argued during a court hearing April 1 that he was not involved in putting the concert together so was not liable for the deaths and injuries that occurred. Hawkins dismissed Monday seven companies and individuals who had been sued. But she denied motions to dismiss that were filed by 10 other companies and individuals, including Apple Inc., which produced a livestream of the concert, and two companies associated with Scott. The first trial from the lawsuits is scheduled for May 6. Some of the lawsuits have since been settled, including those filed by the families of four of the people killed during the concert. The most recent settlement related to 23-year-old Rodolfo Pena, who was killed, was announced Feb. 5 in court filings.
Actor LeVar Burton, 67, decried the Eric Adams administration's budget cuts to the city's public library systems Tuesday and urged New Yorkers to sign a petition calling for the spending reductions to be reversed. In a letter shared with the New York Daily News, Burton -- known for "Reading Rainbow," a children's show that encouraged children to read -- wrote that libraries played a large role in his upbringing. He warned the consequences would be dire if the city adopts the mayor's preliminary 2025 fiscal year budget plan, which contains a $58.3 million cut to the three library systems. "These proposed cuts could have devastating (effects) for New Yorkers, who have already lost access to seven-day service due to a previous round of budget cuts," Burton wrote in the letter emailed to members of New York Public Library. "The cuts proposed for next year would lead to even further service reductions, including the loss of yet another open day at most libraries." Burton's missive was capped off with a link to a petition calling for a reversal of the library cuts. Mayor Adams' office didn't immediately return a request for comment on Burton's letter.