MGM Resorts Sues Las Vegas Shooting Victims Over Liability Claims
The company that owns the hotel in Las Vegas where a mass shooting took place in October of 2017 is now suing the victims of the shooting in an effort to avoid legal liability in the incident.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that has MGM Resorts International has filed federal lawsuits against more than 1,000 victims who were shot or otherwise impacted by the mass shooting that took place on the third day of the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1, 2017. MGM owns both the concert site and the Mandalay Bay hotel, where a lone gunman opened fire on the crow below from his window, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds and hundreds more.
450 of the victims banded together to file suits against both MGM Resorts and concert promoter Live Nation, claiming negligence in the shootings. MGM's filing argues that any lawsuits against the company “must be dismissed," saying, “Plaintiffs have no liability of any kind to defendants."
The Victims of the Las Vegas Shooting
MGM's filings cite a federal act that gives liability protection to any company that uses “anti-terrorism” services or technology that are designed to “help prevent and respond to mass violence.” MGM claims Contemporary Services Corp., the security company they used for the Route 91 Harvest Festival, could not be held liable because it had been certified by the Department of Homeland Security for “protecting against and responding to acts of mass injury and destruction.” The suit argues that liability protection extends to MGM, since they hired the security firm. They are not asking for money from the victims, but they are asking for existing litigation to be thrown out.
MGM released a statement about the litigation on Monday (July 17), saying, "The Federal Court is an appropriate venue for these cases and provides those affected with the opportunity for a timely resolution. Years of drawn out litigation and hearings are not in the best interest of victims, the community and those still healing."
Las Vegas attorney Robert Eglet represents many of the shooting victims, and he responded to the lawsuits by accusing MGM of "judge shopping" by filing in federal court instead of state court, saying it "quite frankly borders on unethical."
“I’ve never seen a more outrageous thing, where they sue the victims in an effort to find a judge they like,” he states. “It’s just really sad that they would stoop to this level.”
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