Victims of Las Vegas Shooting to Split $800 Million Settlement

On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas from a window of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, killing 58 people and injuring over 800. Three years later, a judge approved an $800 million settlement for the victims of the shooting, which will be divided among more than 4,000 claimants in a class-action suit, CNN reports.

A judge approved the settlement on Wednesday after all sides in a class-action lawsuit against the owner of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas agreed to the settlement after months of negotiation. There is a 30 day period of appeal for the settlement and plaintiffs' attorney Robert Eglet said that "we are hopeful it will be completed in a manner that we will be able to disperse the victims' funds before the end of the year." The shooting was the largest mass shooting event committed by an individual in modern United States history.

MGM Resorts, which owns Mandalay Bay as well as the concert venue, acknowledged no liability. It will pay $49 million and its insurance companies will pay $751 million. "We are grateful that the decision brings families, victims and the community closer to closure," the company said in a statement, calling the anniversary of the shooting "a time of great sadness and reflection."

Exact payments each victim will be determined independently by a pair of retired judges agreed to by both sides. Only one of the potential claimants in the case opted out of the suit. NBC News reports that the payment will come from casino company MGM Resorts International and its insurers and will go to 4,400 relatives and victims of the shooting. In her order on Wednesday, Clark County District Court Judge Linda Bell cited "near-unanimous participation in the settlement among potential claimants."

"By the grace of God, myself and my family are going to be OK," said Stephanie Fraser, a plaintiff in the lawsuit from La Palma, California. "I needed to be able to protect our kids." Fraser attended the festival with her husband, Brian Fraser, who died after being shot in the chest. "Brian is missed beyond words by all of us — all of our family and all of our friends," she told The Associated Press. "With this coming to an end, it brings closure and allows us to put pieces back together. Brian would want that for us."