This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
Published on October 3, 2019, MGM Resorts International has agreed to pay up to $800 million to settle lawsuits from victims of the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead and hundreds of others injured.
The shooting occurred when Stephen Paddock, who was staying in a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, which MGM owns, fired into the crowd at a country music festival below. The Mandalay Bay hotel is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to Robert Eglet, a lawyer for the victims, the settlement would be in the range of $735 million to $800 million and would resolve “substantially all” of the lawsuits and claims against MGM related to the massacre.
“While nothing will be able to bring back the lives lost or undo the horrors so many suffered on that day, this settlement will provide fair compensation for thousands of victims and their families,” Mr. Eglet said in a statement.
The settlement is expected to cover up to 4,500 people, including those who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and death cases, according to Craig Eiland, another lawyer for the plaintiffs.
The settlement was finalized after passing the two-year statute of limitations for filing new claims, which happened this week. The next step for the plaintiffs will be to have their cases examined by an independent claims administrator, who will review medical bills and other expenses before deciding how much each person will receive.
It was not immediately known whether any of the victims who have filed claims will opt-out of the settlement and instead take their cases to trial.
Initially, MGM had responded with an aggressive legal strategy, arguing that a little-known federal law meant that MGM enjoyed a shield from liability because the shooting qualified as an “act of terrorism” under the law’s expansive definitions.
However, as part of the settlement, MGM will not have to pay the full amount out of its own pockets. The company’s insurers have agreed to pay $751 million to resolve the cases, leaving MGM to pay only $49 million, depending on the final settlement amount.
