Las Vegas shooting victims, families closer to receiving settlement
Thousands of victims of the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas and their family members are one step closer to receiving an $800 million settlement from MGM Resorts International.
On Thursday, less than a month before the three-year anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in the nation’s modern history, plaintiffs and MGM Resorts jointly asked the court to determine that the settlement reached between the two parties was done “in good faith.” This would mark the next step in a settlement process first announced in October 2019.
The ruling would bring “all parties closer to closure so the community can continue to heal,” according to a statement from MGM Resorts.
The company acknowledged no liability and is set to pay $49 million. Insurance companies would pay the remaining $751 million, and disbursements are expected to take place by the end of the year.
“Everybody recognized there are no winners in long, drawn-out litigation with multiple trials where people and the community are reliving the event every time we try a case,” plaintiffs attorney Robert Eglet told The Associated Press.
Eglet is lead counsel for the law firm Eglet Adams of Las Vegas, which represents nearly 2,500 of the 4,400 plaintiffs involved in the litigation.
A 225-page civil complaint asserts several claims against MGM Resorts, including negligence, wrongful death and liability in the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting. On that date, a gunman inside MGM Resorts’ Mandalay Bay fired at an outdoor country music festival, initially killing 58 people and injuring more than 800. A California woman was declared the 59th victim of the Route 91 Harvest festival massacre last month.
Clark County District Court Judge Linda Marie Bell has been asked to set a date to oversee final objections.
Eglet said the most severely injured could receive millions of dollars. Settlement amounts vary on a number of factors, including age, the number of dependents, type of injuries, previous and future medical treatment, and ability to work.
Retired Nevada Judge Jennifer Togliatti and retired California Judge Louis Meisinger will oversee the settlement disbursements, with assistance from Virginia-based claims management legal firm BrownGreer.
Eglet said he’s hopeful the disbursements will take place by the end of the year but said “a lot” depends on appeals and how quickly and efficiently the administrators can wrap up their work.
“They’ve got a lot of work to do,” Eglet said.
Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.