Callahan & Blaine

In lawsuits filed in Nevada, California and New York, MGM Resorts International has sued hundreds of victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in a bid to avoid liability for the gunfire that rained down from its Mandalay Bay casino-resort in Las Vegas.

Targeted at the 2,500 victims who have sued the company or threatened to sue, the lawsuit argues it has “no liability of any kind” to survivors or families of slain victims under a federal law enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The main complaint against MGM are that gunman Stephen Paddock managed to get an arsenal of firearms into a suite at MGM, which resulted in the deaths of 58 people and injured hundreds more.

While MGM isn’t facing any monetary damages, they are asking for legal safeguards to protect the company. In what many could call a legal Hail Mary, they are attempting to say they don’t have any liability because the shooting should be considered a terrorist attack, based on a 2002 statute created after 911.

MGM spokeswoman Debra DeShong said Congress determined that federal courts should handle any lawsuits over mass attacks where federally certified security services were provided.

“While we expected the litigation that followed, we also feel strongly that victims and the community should be able to recover and find resolution in a timely manner,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

But what about security? What about the venue and not marking exit outlets? It will be interesting to see how the courts define terrorism and whether or not this falls under the statute.

If you suspect that you’re not the only one with particular grounds for legal action, contact Callahan & Blaine in Santa Ana to learn about your litigation options for either a freestanding lawsuit or a class action. With more than 20 trial attorneys aggregating over 500 years of litigation experience, our law firm has the depth and range of experience necessary to identify opportunities for class certification and to manage the complex logistics of class action litigation.