#Over 4,400 Las Vegas shooting victims, relatives could receive $800M

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Mourners hold their candles in the air during a moment of silence during a vigil to mark one week since the mass shooting at the music festival.
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More than 4,400 relatives and victims of the deadly Las Vegas concert massacre in October 2017 could receive $800 million in payouts from MGM Resorts International and its insurers as early as January, the casino giant and attorneys said this week.

Robert Eglet, the attorney handling the settlement of dozens of lawsuits, submitted documents asking a Nevada court judge to approve sweeping negotiations involving a lengthy list of plaintiffs from nearly every US state, at least eight Canadian provinces, the UK, Iran and Ireland.

The extensive list of victims — identified only by their initials — runs for more than 170 pages of a 225-page civil complaint seeking compensation and punitive damages from MGM Resorts.

The complaint accuses the casino company of negligence, wrongful death and liability in the shooting — the deadliest in recent US history — that killed 58 people and injured more than 850 others on the Las Vegas strip.

The company, which acknowledged no liability, will pay $49 million, while insurance companies will shell out $751 million, according to both sides.

MGM Resorts said in a statement that the court filings are “the next steps in the settlement process … thereby bringing all parties closer to closure so the community can continue to heal.”

The most severely and permanently injured victims could receive millions of dollars — depending on factors including their ages, the number of dependents, type of injuries, previous and future medical treatment, and ability to work.

A minimum of $5,000 would go to each person who filed a claim for unseen injuries and did not seek medical attention or therapy, he said.

A separate document declares the case settled and asks Clark County District Court Judge Linda Marie Bell to set a date to field any objections. A hearing could be held by Oct. 1, the third anniversary of the massacre.

“Clearly, the case has been settled in good faith,” Eglet told the Associated Press. “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.”

None of the court filings mention the gunman, Stephen Paddock — who opened fire from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and killed himself as police closed in.

With Post wires