Rave Victim’s Family Suing L.A. Memorial Coliseum for $5M

Last November, we reported that the city of Los Angeles had tapped Will.i.am for a series of drug PSAs in a response to the city-sponsored Electric Daisy Carnival that had gotten out of hand in June 2010. The rave resulted in the death of a 15-year-old girl, Sasha Rodriguez, who overdosed on ecstasy and fell into a coma after her attendance. The Rodriguez parents don't think a series of commercials or a temporary ban is enough, though. They are suing the venue for $5 million.

Their claim, filed on Dec. 23, states that the Coliseum "knew, or should have known, that the rave would attract, promote, encourage, facilitate and enable widespread illegal and illicit activity, including but not limited to the possession, sale and consumption of illicit drugs."

After Rodriguez's death and many other drug-related problems from the event, large parties were banned for a time at the venue. They returned in December, though. According to the L.A. Times, raves account for about 28 percent of the Coliseum's profits in a given year.

The battle is not over, either. On Dec. 22, Fiona Ma, a democratic state assemblywoman from San Francisco, introduced a bill to ban raves at all publicly owned venues in California.

Categories: Hip-Hop, R.I.P.