MGM Resorts Agrees To Pay Up To $800 Million To Settle Liability Claims After 2017 Las Vegas Massacre

MGM Resorts International, which owns the Mandalay Bay Hotel, has agreed to pay up to $800 million to settle liability claims stemming from the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, which took the lives of 58 people. This settlement was reached almost exactly two years after the October 1st 2017 shooting, where a gunman on the 32nd floor of the MGM-owned Mandalay Bay Hotel shot down thousands of rounds of ammunition on a crowd of festival goers attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Attorney’s representing the victims sought to hold the chain liable for negligence, as the shooter was able to enter the hotel with luggage that held an arsenal of high-powered, assault-style weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition. According to Catherine Lombardo, one of the attorney’s representing a few of the victims the gunman “brought in over 20 huge heavy bags over a three- or four-day period.”

MGM’s insurance will pay out between $735 million and $800 million, depending on the number of claimants, according to the victim’s attorney. This agreement resolves “substantially all” of the lawsuits filed. Robert Eglet, a lawyer who has been leading talks on behalf of shooting victims, says that his firm alone represents nearly 2,500 clients.

While there have been numerous investigations regarding this mass shooting, little is known about the perpetrator who worked as a real-estate investor, property manager, retired accountant, amateur pilot, and video poker gambler. A motive was never found for the shooting, however investigators have discovered that the shooter had meticulously planned his attack to cause as many casualties as possible.

In addition to the automatic weapons, and ammunition, investigators also discovered an array of explosives, along with hundreds of images of child pornography on laptops that were at the scene of the crime. Further investigators state that the shooter had been stockpiling his arsenal for decades.

“While nothing will be able to bring back the lives lost or undo the horrors so many suffered on that day, this settlement will provide fair compensation for thousands of victims and their families,” Eglet said, adding, “We believe that the terms of this settlement represent the best outcome for our clients and will provide the greatest good for those impacted by these events.”