MGM Resorts settles Las Vegas shooting lawsuits for up to $800M
LAS VEGAS » Two years after a shooter rained gunfire on country music fans from a high-rise Las Vegas hotel, MGM Resorts International reached a settlement that could pay up to $800 million to families of the 58 people who died and hundreds of others who were injured, attorneys announced Thursday.
It will resolve hundreds of lawsuits in multiple states that seek compensation for a range of physical and psychological injuries from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and comes just two days after the anniversary of the Oct. 1, 2017, massacre.
Victims say the casino giant failed to protect 22,000 people at a concert venue it owns or stop the shooter from spending several days amassing an arsenal of assault-style weapons and ammunition in his suite at the Mandalay Bay resort.
Dr. Heather Melton, an orthopedic surgeon whose husband, Sonny, died shielding her from the gunfire, said she had mixed feelings about the settlement.
“There’s some good that comes from it: It will help give families closure and alleviates their ongoing medical costs,” she said. “But there’s no amount of money I would take to not get my husband back.”
The settlement creates the thirdlargest victims compensation fund in U.S. history, according to a claims administrator who has doled out money in major attacks and disasters. Kenneth Feinberg, who wasn’t involved in the Las Vegas deal, said he oversaw $7.1 billion in victim compensation after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and $6.5 billion following the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The amount of the settlement depends on the number of plaintiffs who take part, according to attorneys who represent thousands of people with claims against MGM.
“Our goal has always been to resolve these matters so our community and the victims and their families can move forward in the healing process,” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts.
An independent administrator will be appointed by a court to allocate money from the settlement fund, attorneys and MGM said. James Frantz, a San Diego attorney who represents 199 victims, said he expected a formula to be worked out based on the severity of people’s injuries.
They expect to wrap up the work by late next year, a timeline that Feinberg called “very realistic.” Attorneys will get some of the money, but they wouldn’t say how much.