UPDATED: July 17, 12:15 ET
Through a public relations agency, MGM Resorts International contacted CrimeOnline will the full statement from its spokesperson regarding the court filings:
“The unforeseeable events of October 1st affected thousands of people in Las Vegas and throughout North America. From the day of this tragedy, we have focused on the recovery of those impacted by the despicable act of one evil individual. 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. Congress provided that the Federal Courts were the correct place for such litigation relating to incidents of mass violence like this one where security services approved by the Department of Homeland Security were provided. 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.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
The company that owns the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino has filed a lawsuit against the victims of the deadly October 1 Las Vegas shooting in an apparent pre-emptive strike to avoid liability for Stephen Paddock’s gun massacre.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that MGM Resorts International has filed federal lawsuits against over 1,000 victims of the October 1 shooting, when 58 people and hundreds more were injured after Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival from his suite at the Mandalay Bay.
According to court records obtained by the news outlet, MGM Resorts International said in the filing that any claims against the company related to the deadly massacre “must be dismissed.”
“Plaintiffs have no liability of any kind to defendants,” reads the complaint, filed in Nevada and California on Friday.
MGM has reportedly argued that Contemporary Services Corp., the security vendor contracted by the company for the Route 91 Harvest Festival, is protected from liability because it was certified by the Department of Homeland Security for “protecting against and responding to acts of mass injury and destruction.”
That liability protection should extend to MGM Resorts International because they hired the vendor, the complaint reportedly argues.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal report, the complaint further “cites a 2002 federal act that extends liability protection to any company that uses ‘anti-terrorism’ technology or services that can ‘help prevent and respond to mass violence,’ the newspaper wrote.
MGM Resorts International is not seeking any monetary damages from the Las Vegas shooting victims, but is rather asking a judge to reject any future lawsuits from victims of the mass shooting.
“The Federal Court is an appropriate venue for these cases and provides those affected with the opportunity for a timely resolution,” MGM Resorts International spokesperson Debra DeShong said Monday in a statement obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“Years of drawn out litigation and hearings are not in the best interest of victims, the community and those still healing.”
[Feature image: Associated Press]
