Live Nation Reaches Settlement With Families of Two Women Killed at Beyond Wonderland Festival

Live Nation has reached settlements with the families of two women killed in the 2023 mass shooting at Washington’s Beyond Wonderland music festival, resolving wrongful death claims just weeks before the case was set to go to trial.

According to a notice filed in King County Superior Court, the estates of Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz have settled all claims connected to the lawsuit.

The case stems from a shooting at the Gorge Amphitheatre campground during the weekend music event. Prosecutors allege that James Kelly, an active-duty U.S. Army specialist at the time, opened fire after experiencing what authorities described as a hallucinogenic drug-induced episode. Kelly had attended the festival with then-girlfriend Lily Luksich, who is also a plaintiff in the broader civil case but has not settled her claims.

According to court filings, Kelly and Luksich drove several hours to the venue, located east of Seattle, for the electronic music festival. Luksich has claimed she had no knowledge that Kelly had firearms stored in his truck when they arrived. Her lawsuit argues that festival security failed to properly inspect vehicles and attendees entering the campground, allowing both weapons and drugs onto the property.

In trial filings submitted this week, the concert giant argued that Kelly deliberately concealed hallucinogenic mushrooms in his underwear to avoid detection during security screening. The company also claims that despite Kelly allegedly showing signs of distress after consuming the drugs, neither he nor Luksich sought help from available medical or festival aid staff.

According to Live Nation, the pair returned to their campsite, where Kelly retrieved a firearm from his vehicle before opening fire without warning on Escamilla and Ruiz, who were approaching nearby. Both women were killed.

Court documents state that Kelly then allegedly forced Luksich through the campground while continuing to fire shots, including at security personnel, before reaching a nearby field. There, prosecutors say, Kelly shot Luksich twice before law enforcement intervened and shot him.

Authorities later said Kelly told investigators he believed “the world was ending” and that he was attempting to protect Luksich and reach family members.

While the settlements bring closure to part of the litigation, the legal battle surrounding the shooting is far from over.

Luksich’s claims against Live Nation and other defendants remain active, with trial scheduled to begin June 1. Her attorney, Tomás Gahan, said the settlements reached by the victims’ families represented some measure of justice, but maintained that significant questions remain about festival security procedures.

In a statement, Gahan accused Live Nation of failing to enforce its own safety protocols, alleging the company relied on insufficient security staffing and poorly equipped screening systems to manage thousands of attendees.

He specifically argued that the company’s dependence on what he described as an understaffed and undertrained canine security team created vulnerabilities that contributed to the tragedy.

Live Nation has denied negligence.

After initially being held in civilian custody, Kelly, who enlisted in the Army in 2021 and was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was transferred earlier this year into military pretrial confinement. He now faces multiple charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including murder, attempted murder, domestic violence offenses, and other drug-related counts.

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.