Drakeo the Ruler’s brother and several others have filed a new lawsuit against Live Nation over the attack at a Los Angeles music festival that left the rapper dead, saying they also suffered injuries that should have been prevented.
Weeks after Drakeo’s son filed a $60 million wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation, brother Devante Caldwell filed a new case against the concert giant Thursday in Los Angeles court, joined by other members the rapper’s entourage who “fortunately survived” the December attack at the Once Upon a Time in LA music festival.
Like the earlier lawsuit, Devante accused Live Nation and other festival organizers of legal negligence for failing to provide sufficient security to keep the performers safe. The lawsuit said safety measures ranged from “lackadaisical to totally absent.”
“Plaintiffs’ safety was in jeopardy from the moment they arrived,” Devante’s attorneys wrote. “Defendants … solicited the services of widely renowned artists to reap the benefits of the attendance of their fan base, then perpetrated an abject failure to protect them. The tragic consequence was a wholly foreseeable outcome of Defendants’ rank negligence.”
At the time of his death, Drakeo the Ruler was stepping up as a prolific artist and had released five music projects since 2020. The artist, whose real name is Darrell Caldwell, had recently released a 17-track mixtape, The Truth Hurts, that included Drake among its collaborators.
On the night of Dec. 18, Drakeo had been scheduled to perform Once Upon a Time in LA but was stabbed around 8:30 pm amid a large fight backstage. The rapper was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but he later died from his injuries. The event was also slated to feature Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, YG and The Game, but was shut down after Drakeo’s death.
In Thursday’s lawsuit, Devante Caldwell described the incident in shocking detail — not as a brief scuffle but rather as multiple waves of attack by dozens of men that lasted more than 15 minutes.
“This second attack lasted far longer than the first — up to 10 minutes — and was more vicious,” his lawyers wrote. “Throughout that time, Drakeo and his group fought for their lives against insurmountable odds, shocked and horrified at the fact that no security ever materialized to intervene.”
The lawsuit said the festival conducted only a “cursory search” of attendees and that many cars were able to enter without any search at all. The VIP area for artists had “no security guards or law enforcement officers present whatsoever,” nor did it come with “cameras or other deterrents to unlawful activity or violence.”
Like the previous lawsuit, Devante said the Once Upon a Time organizers should have been on high alert, making the security failures even more inexcusable. The lawsuit cited the fact that Drakeo was tried and acquitted for the 2016 murder of a member of the Bloods gang, putting a target on his back.
“Though he was eventually exonerated, the events and allegations surrounding his criminal case were widely circulated and he faced threats and constant hostility from gang members and other people,” Devante’s attorneys wrote. “Much of the animosity and danger Drakeo faced was amplified due to his success that increased his notoriety.”
When reached for comment on the incident previously, a spokeswoman for Live Nation referred Billboard to a statement from festival organizers: “Once Upon a Time in LA joins Drakeo’s family, friends, and fans in grieving his loss. The festival is continuing to support local authorities in their investigation as they pursue the facts.” The organizers did not immediately return a request for comment on the new case.
Joining Devante as plaintiffs were Calvin Webb, Terrence Hackett; Kevin Gomez, Jorky Peralta, Felton Binns, Jerome Watkins, each of whom said they too had suffered harm in the attack. The new lawsuit also named C3 Presents, a subsidiary of Live Nation, as well as Bobby Dee Presents. A spokeswoman for Bobby Dee Presents did not immediately return a request for comment.