National civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump says he plans to file a lawsuit against Rochester's Main Street Armory following the stampede that left three people dead earlier this month.
According to Crump, he and attorney Terrence Connors were set to formally announce the lawsuit during a news conference on Tuesday at the Armory. However, Crump's office says the news conference has been postponed due to travel issues. A new date and time for the rescheduled announcement have not yet been determined.
The lawsuit is being filed on behalf of 35-year-old Aisha Haskins-Stephens, of Syracuse, who died following the stampede. Crump says he is also representing several concertgoers who were injured in the incident.
Police say Rhondesia Belton, 33, of Buffalo and Brandy Miller, 35, of Rochester, also died from the injuries they suffered when the crowd of people at the GloRilla concert on March 5 frantically pushed their way toward the exits. The incident remains under investigation, but authorities have yet to announce what sparked the stampede.
Following the incident, the renewal of the venue's entertainment license was denied by the chief of police.
The decision prompted Armory owner Scott Donaldson to issue a statement saying in part:
Spectrum News 1 has reached out to Donaldson for comment on the announcement of Crump's lawsuit and is awaiting his response.