MGM SUING VEGAS SHOOTING VICTIMS
MGM is suing more than a thousand of victims of a mass shooting at a music festival at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, a legal maneuver being blasted as “reprehensible,” and “just wrong,” by gaming and legal experts.
“You’re a hotel and your guest has committed a mass murder, and then you go ahead and sue the innocent victims. On a human level, that is incomprehensible to most of us and profoundly wrong,” said Leo Boyle, a Boston attorney who led a massive pro-bono legal effort for victims and survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “As a human being, it’s just wrong, it feels like the wrong way to do it.”
Last week, MGM filed a lawsuit asking a judge to rule the company could not be found responsible for the murders, citing a law MGM says immunizes the company from victims’ claims.
“Plaintiffs have no liability of any kind to Defendants, or any of them, arising from the Paddock’s mass attack,” the complaint said.
Last October, Stephen Paddock opened fire from the Mandalay Bay hotel into the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, killing 58 and injuring hundreds more. Rhonda LeRocque of Tewksbury was one of those killed by Paddock.
The complaint says MGM and its security took necessary measures to prevent the shooting. In a statement, MGM said it sued to help ease the burden on survivors.
“While we expected the litigation that followed, we also feel strongly that victims and the community should be able to recover and find resolution in a timely manner,” MGM said in statement. “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.”
Next month, MGM plans to open its new resort casino in Springfield, the first in Massachusetts.
MGM said it sued victims who have indicated they will engage in litigation over the shooting. MGM has been accused of failing to monitor its guests and giving Paddock access to a service elevator that allowed him to bring a stockpile of weapons.
Robert Eglet, a Las Vegas lawyer who represents a number of the victims, said the suit is hurting victims all over again.
“This lawsuit filed by MGM against these more than 1,000 victims is reprehensible and is doing nothing but victimizing these people again,” Eglet said. “They’re just causing more harm to these victims by doing this.”
The Rev. Richard McGowan, a casino expert and professor at Boston College said, “It certainly doesn’t make them very friendly to their customers, that’s for sure. It’s an industry where you’d better do everything for the customer.”
Still, McGowan said he doesn’t expect the lawsuit to have much of an impact on the Springfield casino, saying there will be plenty of interest in the first Massachusetts casino.
“A lot of people, they’re going to want to see what the place looks like,” McGowan said. “It’s not going to hurt them in the beginning.”