A total of 58 people were killed and over 800 wounded or injured while attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival. Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd in attendance and shot himself before police could arrest him. Victims of the shooting filed a lawsuit against MGM Resorts International as they owned the Mandalay Bay where the shooter was based. It seems settlement payments could arrive soon to victims, with a tentative outlook of January 2021.
Settlement Details
News broke this week via multiple outlets that MGM Resorts International could begin paying damages to victims of the Las Vegas shooting by this coming January. The casino operator is preparing to pay $800 million to those affected. A settlement was reached between the victims and MGM Resorts in October of last year.
Documents were submitted in Nevada court this week, seeking approval from a judge regarding negotiations that took place last year. The plaintiffs in the case come from almost every state in the US as well as Canada, Ireland, the UK and Iran.
Not Accepting Liability
The civil complaint has 225 pages and shows the plaintiffs seeking compensation as well as punitive damages from the casino operator. MGM has been accused of liability in the shooting along with negligence and wrongful death.
The gunman, Paddock, took several days and stocked up his hotel room at the Mandalay Bay with almost 24 assault-style weapons. The complaints filed against MGM state that the casino should have spotted the guns and ammunition in the gunman’s room. MGM is also accused of failing to provide proper safety measures for the music festival. There were 22,000 people in attendance during the event.
The casino operator does not acknowledge any liability in the case. But they did agree to pay $800 million in settlement funds to help the victims and their families to heal. They also will avoid litigation in the case by agreeing to a settlement.
The new documents filed this week claim the case is settled and seeks a date for final objections. It is expected that Clark County District Judge Marie Bell will hear any final objections by October.
According to the plaintiffs attorney, the permanently injured and severely injured individuals could receive millions based on several factors. The case considers the age of the individual as well as how many dependents they have along with the type of injury. Any individual who did not seek medical attention or therapy and filed a claim for unseen injuries will receive $5,000.
In the case, MGM will pay $49 million out of pocket for the incident. Their insurers will pay the bulk of the settlement funds at $751 million. Attorney Eglet said that the money is expected to be provided by the end of the year, but this will depend on appeals as well as how quickly administrators finish up their end of the case.
