The lawsuit tied to the 2023 shooting at the Gorge Amphitheatre’s campgrounds alleges that “egregiously deficient” security practices led to the tragedy.
A Washington state judge has denied Live Nation’s bid for summary judgment in the wrongful death lawsuit stemming from 2023’s mass shooting incident at Beyond Wonderland, a music festival organized at the Gorge Amphitheatre by the company’s subsidiary Insomniac Events, Billboard reports.
The case traces back to June 2023, when a man, James Kelly, opened fire in the campground area of the Gorge Amphitheatre during Beyond Wonderland, killing two and injuring others. The suspect was arrested and later charged with two counts of first-degree murder and multiple counts of first-degree assault, according to local reports at the time.
Filed in King County Superior Court, the complaint argues the tragedy was the result of allegedly “egregiously deficient” security practices. Plaintiffs allege the shooter was permitted to drive into the campground with firearms, ammunition and hallucinogenic substances without an adequate vehicular search or screening.
Live Nation argues the shooting was not foreseeable and says its security team’s gun-sniffing dogs did search Kelly’s vehicle upon entry but found nothing. Judge Patrick Oishi’s order was reportedly only a page long and offered no explanation, but it ensures the dispute will be litigated in front of a jury unless the case settles first.
The case was filed in 2024 by the families of the victims, Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz, as well as by Lily Luksich, Kelly’s former girlfriend. Luksich was shot during the ordeal but survived.