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Hundreds of victims of the October mass shooting in Las Vegas are suing over the attack, arguing that the owners of the hotel the gunman used to stage the assault and the organizers of the festival he targeted failed to adequately protect them.
In five lawsuits filed on Monday, lawyers representing more than 450 victims of the ordeal sued MGM Resorts International, which owns the Mandalay Bay hotel and the festival venue, as well as Live Nation Entertainment, the concert promoter. They also sued the estate of the gunman, Stephen Paddock, whose attack ended with 58 concertgoers dead and about 500 more wounded.
The filings are the latest in a series of lawsuits alleging that the businesses, and others, contributed to the severity of the attack in avoidable ways. The plaintiffs in the lawsuits filed on Monday include victims of gunshot wounds and trampling as well as those suffering from post-traumatic stress.
“Each one of them has a unique story,” said Muhammad Aziz, a Houston-based personal injury lawyer who is among those representing the victims.
The lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court because most of the victims were from and treated in California and because Live Nation is based there.
Mr. Paddock carried out the attack on the Route 91 Harvest country music festival from a suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, where he had amassed almost two dozen weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition. He fired on the crowds over the course of several minutes out of two broken windows.
Lawyers for the victims accused employees of the hotel, venue and festival of negligence, contributing to the injuries and damages suffered by their clients.
The Mandalay Bay staff, they argued, did not properly monitor the hotel, resulting in a failure to catch Mr. Paddock as he brought guns and ammunition into his room and, subsequently, respond to the attack in a timely manner.
In a statement, MGM Resorts disputed the claims.
“These kinds of lawsuits are not unexpected and we intend to defend ourselves against them,” the company said. “That said, out of respect for the victims, we will give our response through the appropriate legal channels.”
Live Nation declined to comment.
The lawyers also argued that festival workers hired by MGM and Live Nation were ill-prepared for the shooting and had not clearly marked the exits or provided enough of them. They also sued both a business that provided security for the event, for negligence, and Mr. Paddock’s estate, for assault, battery and causing emotional distress.
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