Most Route 91 victims have received share of $800M settlement
As of the fourth anniversary of the deadly mass shooting on the Strip, nearly all victims have received their portion of an $800 million settlement.
“All of our clients have received their money,” said Robert Eglet, one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs. “The vast majority of the other attorneys have also gotten their disbursements to their clients.”
Eglet is lead counsel for the law firm Eglet Adams of Las Vegas, which represents more than half of the 4,400 plaintiffs involved in the litigation. The cases that are held up involve emotional distress or post-traumatic stress disorder and should be disbursed soon, he said.
Thousands of people attended the Route 91 Harvest festival in 2017, when a gunman shot into the crowd from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay. Hundreds were injured, and 60 people died from their injuries.
The 225-page civil complaint asserted several claims against MGM Resorts International, including negligence, wrongful death and liability in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The $800 million settlement with MGM Resorts — owner of Mandalay Bay and the festival grounds where the outdoor country music concert was held — was first announced in 2019 and approved last year.
As part of the settlement, MGM Resorts acknowledged no liability and paid $49 million, while the remainder of the settlement comes from insurance coverage.
More than 50 percent of the claimants are from California and Nevada, lawyers have said. Others came from at least eight different states. All were seeking compensation for a range of physical and psychological injuries.
Retired Nevada Judge Jennifer Togliatti and retired California Judge Louis Meisinger oversaw settlement disbursements, with help from Virginia-based claims management legal firm BrownGreer.
The settlement amounts varied on several factors, including age, the number of dependents, type of injuries, previous and future medical treatment, and ability to work, according to Eglet. His firm recently donated $50,000 to the memorial that is being put up near the concert site.
“Tomorrow is the four-year anniversary of the tragic event,” Eglet said Thursday. “Hopefully this provides them some closure.”
The last part to finalize is the gunman’s estate, which is estimated to be worth about $1 million. Probate attorney Alice Denton said Thursday that the case is still in limbo, with another hearing set for January.
The issue at hand is the destruction of the gunman’s weapons.
An anonymous donor from California has offered to cover their $62,500 value if they were destroyed.
Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.
