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Stephen Paddock broke through the window in his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas and opened fire on thousands of country music fans enjoying a concert at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. This heinous act resulted in the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States. Las Vegas police and the FBI determined the 64-year-old retired accountant and high-stakes poker player meticulously planned the attack and acted alone. They theorized he may have sought notoriety, but said they never determined a clear motive for the attack.
When the smoke cleared, 58 concert attendees had died, more than 800 were injured and thousands experienced varying degrees of emotional trauma. About 4,500 plaintiffs retained attorneys to sue MGM, Mandalay Bay’s parent company, citing the hotel’s poor security as the reason the gunman was able to amass an arsenal of weapons and ammunition over a period of several days to his room. Victims also claimed that MGM failed to protect people at the concert venue.
After the lawsuit was filed, the parties conducted months of mediation. Two mediators were chosen instead of one because of the complexity of the various cases. Ultimately, MGM agreed to pay $800 million to settle the case.
On September 30, 2020, almost 3 years after the massacre, a Las Vegas court approved the settlement, which will be paid by MGM Resorts International and its insurers to more than 4,400 victims. Clark County District Court Judge Linda Bell, in her brief order, cited “near-unanimous participation in the settlement among potential claimants.” Plaintiffs came from nearly every state in the U.S., at least eight Canadian provinces, the United Kingdom, Iran and Ireland.
Yahoo News: Judge Approves $800 Million Las Vegas
Jeff Murphy Law had the pleasure of representing victims of this tragic incident. While no amount of money will erase the memory of this event or heal the injuries the victims sustained, it is hoped that the settlement will bring closure and allow the victims and their families to move forward with their lives. At Jeff Murphy Law, we have represented injury victims and their families for over 30 years. We frequently handle cases involving premises liability and negligent security. If you have any legal questions regarding personal injury or wrongful death, call Jeff Murphy Law for a free consultation.