A DeKalb County jury has awarded a $160 million verdict to the families of two men killed at an Underground Atlanta rap concert in 2017, according to Atlanta attorneys.
The jury found Sony Music Holdings failed to protect patrons at the Masquerade venue in downtown Atlanta, the Beasley Atlanta law firm said.
“This verdict represents an incredible day of justice for our clients and for the safety of all people that attend concerts across America,” attorney Parker Miller said in a statement. “Obviously, these types of cases do not come around often. This was a mass shooting in a crowded concert. There were multiple deaths, and Gio and Wells suffered significantly before losing their fight for life, as eyewitnesses outlined.”
Ewell Ynoa, 21, and Giovan Diaz, 22, died on Nov. 12, 2017, after gunfire broke out during a performance by the rapper Cousin Stizz.
Just before 9:40 p.m. officers responded to The Masquerade, where a total of four people had been shot. Police previously said two of the four victims got rowdy and climbed onto the stage during a break.
“Another patron took issue and an argument ensued,” a police spokeswoman said at the time.
The patron pulled out a pistol and fired, according to police. Jonathan Bautista, then 23, was arrested and charged with murder in both deaths. Earlier this year, Bautista — who turns 29 later this month — was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter, according to Fulton County court records.
The civil trial was held in DeKalb because that is where the venue’s owner lived.
“The trial was incredibly emotional because of what these families, and the world, lost,” Miller said. “One of these men had been told he would be a father just a few hours before the shooting happened. Combine that with the fact the concert endangered everyone, and this defendant refused to participate in the legal process, and you get the type of verdict we saw here.”
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