A court is convening on Friday to decide how the estate of mass murderer Stephen Paddock will be divided amongst his victims.
After the domestic terrorist opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival last month, his family decided that his estimated $5 million estate should go to the victims and their families.
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However, there is some disagreement about who should oversee the distribution of funds. Paddock’s family wants their lawyer to control the disbursement, see that as a conflict of interest.
In a joint statement by several of the lawyers representing victims in the case, they pointed out that the Paddock family lawyer simultaneously represents a father of one of the shooting victims themselves. For these lawyers, that leaves a little too much room for corruption. They’ve requested a third party to see that Paddock’s estate is distributed fairly.
The court is also set to decide on how best to make use of the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund, which raised $14 million in donations following the tragedy. There is a protocol in place for those intent on claiming part of this fund, which prioritizes the families of those who lost their lives in the shooting, followed by victims who suffered paralysis, and finally, those who were hospitalized as a direct result of the attack.
Craig Eiland is a lawyer representing several victims in the case. He told Las Vegas Now that he wants the disbursement of all the funds to be “an open and transparent process.”
Of Paddock’s personal estate, he added, “I’d like to get the estate, all of the estate, for just my clients. But that’s just not the right thing to do.”
