Hotel files suits against survivors of massacre

The company that owns the Las Vegas hotel where a gunman opened fire last year has filed lawsuits against more than 1000 people who survived the massacre, arguing that it has ‘‘no liability of any kind’’ for the attack.

The lawsuits, filed last week in federal court, come nine months after the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

A gunman firing from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino killed 58 people and wounded scores more. After shooting into the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival for more than 10 minutes, police say, Stephen Paddock turned one of his guns on himself and pulled the trigger.

The impact of the October 1, 2017, massacre has been staggering. Police say in addition to the 58 killed, more than 700 were injured, while countless others continue enduring psychological scars.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the Mandalay Bay, said its filings were intended to seek a ‘‘timely resolution’’ for people impacted. The company filed one lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Nevada and another in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The complaints state they were filed against people who say they were injured and live in those states.

The lawsuits are not seeking money, but are instead asking courts to agree that under federal law, any claims from the rampage ‘‘must be dismissed.’’ The company’s argument is that it is shielded from lawsuits by a federal law known as the Safety Act, which was passed in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and can limit liability after attacks. The new lawsuits ask the courts to declare that this law ‘‘precludes any finding of liability’’ against MGM. According to MGM’s lawsuits, more than 2500 people have either sued MGM or have threatened to do so. – Washington Post