The mother of Drakeo the Ruler’s son has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their child, Pitchfork reports. According to the outlet, Tianna Purtue filed the multi-million-dollar suit against Live Nation this week on behalf of their 5-year-old son, Caiden Caldwell.
The lawsuit accuses Live Nation; C3 Presents; Bobby Dee Presents; Los Angeles Football Club, which owns the Banc of California Stadium; and Jeff Shuman of contributing to the Los Angeles rapper’s December death.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants “were 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.” The filing also mentions the tragedy at Astroworld Festival, which Live Nation organized, that happened one month prior.
The suit further argued that if Live Nation “placed the safety and wellbeing of its guests and its invited artists ahead of profits, there would have been an adequate security plan and sufficient security guards and law enforcement presence to have prevented the unnecessary and untimely murder of Drakeo the Ruler at the hands of over 100 deadly gang members who inexplicably gained access to a restricted area of the venue engaging in an unrelenting and unprevented attack for over 10 minutes.”
Lawyers representing Caldwell also noted that the boy’s father was “not and never has been a member of any gang,” but said he was “constantly being challenged by various gangs for his refusal to ‘choose’ a side.”
Due to this “very public feud” with gang members, promoters “should have known” that Drakeo’s safety was in jeopardy, the suit adds.
The child is seeking $25 million or more in non-economic damages for the death of his father; $25 million or more in economic damages for loss of earnings and financial support; at least $10 million for Drakeo’s suffering; and additional damages and expenses.
As reported by REVOLT, Drakeo’s family also filed a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation and other event organizers last month.