The owner of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, has filed a lawsuit against victims of a mass shooting that took place there last year. Yes, you read that right, they want to sue the victims.
Why would MGM Resorts International, which owns the Mandalay Bay and the Route 91 Harvest festival venue, want to do such a thing?
It is not about getting money from them, but rather in hopes of a court finding that the company has “no liability of any kind” for the victims.
The shooting, which took place in October last year, saw 64-year-old Stephen Paddock open fire at 22,000 festival goers from the Mandalay Bay Hotel during the Route 91 Harvest festival.
He killed 58 people before taking his own life.
MGM has filed complaints in both Nevada and California, arguing that it cannot be held responsible for any of the deaths, injuries or damages caused because they hired a security company certified by the Department of Homeland Security.
They claim that a 2002 federal act protects the security firm from any liability and that this should extend to the hotel itself as they hired their protection services.
The act extends liability protection to any company that uses “anti-terrorism” technology or services that can “help prevent and respond to mass violence”.
Las Vegas lawyer Robert Eglet, who has represented several of the victims said the case verged on being unethical.
He said the grounds of the litigation were obscure and MGM’s decision to use the 2002 federal law (and therefore file the case in a federal court) was a “blatant display of judge shopping”.
Lawsuits have been filed by victims’ groups against both MGM and concert promoter Live Nation.
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