A settlement was announced Thursday to resolve claims against MGM Resorts related to the 2017 massacre at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in 2017, according to CNBC. The settlement will pay claimants at least $735 million, according to a press release issued by the company. The total settlement may reach up to $800 million, depending on the number of claims made.
“MGM Resorts is a valued member of the Las Vegas community and this settlement represents good corporate citizenship on their part,” Robert Eglet, a lawyer representing the victims, said in a statement. “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.”
Fifty-eight people were killed in the shooting, which occurred on October 1, 2017 on the festival grounds. Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, spraying the crowd at the festival with bullets, killing 58 and injuring hundreds more between those struck by bullets and others injured in the rush to flee the scene.
Over 22,000 fans were in attendance at the festival, which featured Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Sam Hunt, Jake Owen, Lee Brice and others. The shooting began while Aldean was onstage, just after 10 p.m. The shooting lasted for nearly 15 minutes before paddock turned a gun on himself as authorities were closing in. In the aftermath, authorities found more than 20 guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and explosives in his room and vehicle, according to a detailed timeline published by Billboard.
“Tonight has been beyond horrific. I still don’t know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe,” Aldean wrote in an Instagram post late that night following the shooting. “My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night. #heartbroken #stopthehate.”
In a regulatory filing earlier this year, MGM Resorts – which owns Mandalay Bay – said it expects to pay as much as $800 million in combined settlement costs, and that it had $751 million in insurance that could be deployed in the payment of such claims. The company received some blowback after suing more than 1,000 victims and their relatives in an attempt to shield itself from liability and claims based off a 2002 federal law it believed shielded it from liability due to the security company it used being certified by the Department of Homeland Security.
Live Nation, which promoted the concert, has also been sued in the aftermath of the massacre – both for negligence and for full refunds of the admission price paid by all fans. The status of that litigation is unknown at this time.
