MGM Resorts International has sued hundreds of victims of one of the United States’ deadliest mass shootings in order to avoid liability for the attack carried out from its Mandalay Bay casino-resort in Las Vegas last year, AP reported.
The company has filed lawsuits in Nevada, California, New York, and other states, claiming it has “no liability of any kind” to survivors or kin of the victims under a federal law enacted after the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.
In October, the attacker, Stephen Paddock, opened fire at a crowd from the window of his Mandalay Bay suite, killing 58 and injuring hundreds before killing himself. Those in the crowd had gathered for a country music festival.
The company has said that the 2002 law limits liabilities when a company or a group uses services certified by the US Department of Homeland Security and mass attacks happen. The company said it is not liable as its security vendor for the concert, Contemporary Services Corp., was certified at the time.
“If defendants were injured by Paddock’s assault, as they allege, they were inevitably injured both because Paddock fired from his window and because they remained in the line of fire at the concert,” the lawsuit said, according to AP. “Such claims inevitably implicate security at the concert – and may result in loss to CSC.”
MGM wants a court to declare that the law “precludes any finding of liability against the company for any claim of injuries arising out of or related to Paddock’s mass attack”.
MGM’s move was criticised on social media. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was one of the 17 people killed after a gunman opened fire at a high school in Parkland in Florida, tweeted his anger.
Debra DeShong, MGM spokesperson, said it had been determined by the US Congress that federal courts should handle any lawsuits over mass attacks where certified security services were present. “While we expect 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,” she said in a statement.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!