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MGM Resorts Seeks Protection from Las Vegas Shooting Lawsuits

MGM Resorts Seeks Protection from Las Vegas Shooting Lawsuits

The owner of the Mandalay Bay hotel has said it bears no liability in last year’s Las Vegas concert massacre and has filed a lawsuit asking courts to grant federal protections that shield companies who provide anti-terrorism products and services to civilians, CNN reports. The shooting occurred the night of Oct. 1 when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Strip leaving 58 people dead and 851 injured.

Survivors Named Defendants

MGM Resorts International, which owns Mandalay Bay, is facing a slew of lawsuits over the shooting, named more than 1,000 of the shooting victims as defendants in two lawsuits. While MGM is not seeking monetary damages, it is asking for safeguards under a federal law against personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed by victims and their families. MGM told CNN through a statement that the shooting was the despicable act “of one evil individual” and maintained that the lawsuits filed in U.S. District Courts in Nevada and Central California are for the victims’ benefit – to help them heal.

Outrage Over the Lawsuits

The outrage over news of these lawsuits has been swift and abundant. This was a shooting, which left 58 dead, hundreds injured and left many more with severe emotional trauma. The heavily armed gunman broke windows in his Mandalay Bay suite on the 32nd floor and sprayed a hail of bullets on thousands of concertgoers across the street. The gunman fatally shot himself before police could get to him.

According to the lawsuits, MGM hired Contemporary Services Corp. to provide security for the event. That company has been approved by the Department of Homeland Security to protect against and respond to acts of mass injury and destruction. Based on that, MGM is claiming that it should not be held liable for the injuries and deaths caused by the shooting. More than 2,500 people have brought lawsuits or threatened to file lawsuits against MGM.

A Brazen Attempt to Dodge Liability

The fact that MGM has filed these lawsuits is absolutely shocking and as personal injury attorneys who have represented survivors of this horrific attack, we are outraged by these legal actions and the lengths to which MGM is going to dodge liability here. And this was a company that was negligent in allowing the gunman into the hotel. A man who was armed with so many weapons and ammunition was able to get to the 32nd-floor room without arousing any suspicion.

It is highly questionable if the courts will buy MGM’s argument. It will depend on the court’s interpretation of how the law defines acts of terror and whether this particular incident falls under that definition. We hope the victims and survivors of one of the worst mass shootings in the nation’s history get the justice and compensation they deserve so they can obtain the treatment and care they need to cope with the trauma they have endured.

Source:https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/17/us/mgm-lawsuit-victims-las-vegas-shooting-trnd/index.html

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