Gwen Stefani Faces Lawsuit From a Fan Injured in a 'Stampede Rush' at 2016 Charlotte Concert
Music artist Gwen Stefani faces a lawsuit following claims that she somehow "created a stampede rush" during a 2016 concert in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Lisa Keri Stricklin, a fan and one of the attendees at Stefani's July 2016 concert at the PNC Pavilion in North Carolina, is the plaintiff in the case. She claimed the stampede following Stefani's actions during the concert caused her to attain serious injuries.
In her complaint filed last Friday, Stricklin narrated that during Stefani's musical performance, the "Hollaback Girl" singer suddenly announced through her microphone that "all patrons in the lawn seating area should come to the reserved seating area and the front of the performance stage." At one point, Stefani allegedly said: "Just fill in anywhere you like!"
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According to the court documents, the PNC Pavilion seating arrangement - at least during Stefani's July 2016 concert - featured a reserved seating area that can accommodate more than 8,000 people and is located in front of the performing stage.
Then, over 10,000 attendees can be situated in the lawn seating area where people are allowed to bring blankets and chairs so they can sit during the event. The reserved and lawn seating areas are separated by barricades and ropes, according to the complaint.
Following Stefani's announcement during the concert, the plaintiff stated that attendees were "knocking over and breaching the security barricades," while others were "jumping over seats in the reserved seating area." More fans rushed by "pouring in through the aisles separating the various sections of the reserved seating area."
Stricklin claimed that because of the rushing concert goers, she acquired "severe physical injuries, including but not limited to a broken tibia in one of her legs."
The complaint then said Stefani reportedly told fans, through her microphone, that she "got in so much trouble" after announcing that everyone can transfer to the vacant seats within the reserved area.
With that, Stricklin's camp demanded, among other things, that she be entitled to receive up to $75,000 for "compensatory damages" from Stefani and the local concert organizer, Live Nation, for the medical treatment she had to pay for her injuries attained at the concert.
