On the eve of the third anniversary of the deadliest shooting in modern US history, a Nevada judge approved an $800 million settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by victims against casino operator MGM Resorts International.
In her brief order, Clark County District Court Judge Linda Bell cited “near-unanimous participation” in the settlement among claimants.
On October 1, 2017, a lone gunman rained gunfire into a crowd of 22,000 concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival from his suite on the 32nd floor of MGM-owned Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
https://www.casinonewsdaily.com/2018/07/17/mandalay-bay-owner-sues-october-1-mass-shooting-victims-seeks-liability-protection/
The shooter, later identified as retired Nevada accountant and avid video poker player Stephen Paddock, killed 58 people and injured more than 850 at the open-air concert, and then shot himself before police reached his suite.
Local police and FBI investigators never determined a clear motive for Paddock’s attack.
Under the settlement, MGM and insurers will pay $800 million to victims and relatives of victims of the attack. The casino operator will pay $49 million, while its insurance companies will pay the remaining $751 million. MGM, which owns both Mandalay Bay and the concert venue that Paddock poured gunfire at, acknowledged no liability for the incident.
First Payments Hoped to Be Distributed by Year’s End
Robert Eglet, the attorney tasked to handle the settlement of hundreds of lawsuits filed against MGM, submitted settlement documents in a Clark County court in early September. The casino operator and victims of the shooting announced that they had reached a settlement in October 2019.
The 225-page civil complaint filed last month includes a list of more than 4,400 victims and relatives of victims in the incident seeking compensation and punitive damages from the casino operator. Plaintiffs, who came from nearly every US state, at least eight Canadian provinces, the UK, Ireland, and Iran, accused MGM of negligence, wrongful death, and liability for the October 1, 2017 massacre.
https://www.casinonewsdaily.com/2018/10/04/mgm-bid-to-centralize-lawsuits-against-october-1-shooting-victims-fails/
The casino and hospitality firm was accused of failing to implement proper safety measures during the music festival and to prevent Paddock from building an arsenal of nearly two dozens of assault-style weapons in the days leading up to the shooting.
Mr. Eglet said that the amounts that would be disbursed to victims will be determined by two retired judges and that he hopes first payments would be dispatched by the end of the year. Those most severely and permanently injured could receive millions of dollars, the attorney also noted.
The exact amounts will be determined based on a set of factors, including age, number of dependents, type of injuries suffered, previous and future medical treatment, and ability to work. Each person who had filed a claim for unseen injuries and had not sought medical attention or therapy will receive a minimum of $5,000.
Memorial ceremonies will be held today at various sites around Las Vegas, including a reading of the names of those killed in the shooting beginning at 10:05 pm – the time Paddock began firing the first round of shots.
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