Gwen Stefani is heading to trial in February (19) over allegations she caused a riotous stampede at a concert.
Lisa Stricklin filed a negligence suit against The Sweet Escape singer and officials at promoters Live Nation in July 2017 in which she accused the No Doubt star of creating a dangerous situation at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2016 after she invited fans to rush towards the stage, and in the ensuing chaos, Stricklin allegedly suffered a broken leg.
Stefani's team requested a summary judgment in the case, but that motion was denied by federal judge Robert Conrad from the Western District of North Carolina on Monday (17Dec18), according to Billboard.com. Judge Conrad ruled that the singer could be held liable for the stampede and scheduled a trial to begin on 19 February.
He bizarrely quoted lyrics from The Sweet Escape in his paperwork, writing the lines, "I know I've been a real bad girl / (I'll try to change) / I didn't mean for you to get hurt whatsoever."
He ruled in favour of a summary judgment for Live Nation, saying the concert promoters "did not owe Plaintiff a duty to protect her from the crowd and her resulting injury because Stefani’s actions were unforeseeable." Live Nation was cleared in the case.
Conrad ruled that the singer's actions were not protected by free speech and added that a jury "could find that Stefani could have anticipated the reaction that her statement would prompt: thousands of people, many of whom were consuming alcohol, to descend toward the stage immediately... It is foreseeable that in this mass movement, someone could get hurt."
He ruled that Stricklin could not seek punitive damages as part of the case.
