Route 91 Lawsuits Begin

At least three separate lawsuits were filed at press time in relation to the mass shooting that killed at least 58 and injured more than 200 at Route 91 Harvest in Las Vegas Oct. 1.

– Route 91 Harvest

No defendant appears in all three suits yet, but Live Nation, MGM, the estate of shooter Stephen Paddock and “bump fire stock” manufacturer Slide Fire Solutions LP are all named.        

A suit against Slide Fire Solutions was filed by Eglet-Prince Oct. 6 on behalf of three plaintiffs, a representative of the firm confirmed with Pollstar. This complaint seeks class action status, punitive damages and the establishment of a court-supervised program for medical and psychological monitoring program for all class members at the defendant’s expense, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by Pollstar.

Another filing on behalf of injured concertgoer Paige Gasper by Bighorn Law names MGM Resorts International, Mandalay Corp., Live Nation Entertainment Inc., Live Nation Group, the estate of Stephen Paddock and Slide Fire Solutions as defendants. A representative of the firm told Pollstar that the suit’s main priority was to fight for Gasper, who was shot and reportedly trampled at the event.

“We’re a Las Vegas firm and we’re gonna fight for our people,” the rep told Pollstar. “Paige has been through a lot.”

Yet another claim was filed by Owen Patterson & Owen on behalf of Travis Phippen, who saw his father die during the mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest. Los Angeles-based attorney Richard Patterson said in an interview with KABC-TV that his firm filed a petition with the district court in Nevada to seize Paddock’s reportedly sizable assets. The KABC report mentioned that Paddock had won millions of dollars gambling in 2015.

As for “bump fire stock,” the suit was filed Friday in Clark County District Court against Slide Fire Solutions LP, law firm Eglet-Prince confirmed to Pollstar.

“Paddock could not have injured so many people without a bump stock,” the complaint alleges. “Paddock may not have launched his military-style assault without a bump stock. There are people who were killed, injured, and suffered emotional distress who would not have been, if Paddock had not possessed a bump stock.”

There are three plaintiffs named in the suit, which was filed on behalf of themselves and others who attended the concert.  They are suing for product liability, negligence, emotional distress and public nuisance. The complaint seeks class action status, punitive damages and the establishment of a court supervised program for medical and psychological monitoring program for all class members at the defendant’s expense, according to the complaint obtained by Pollstar.

Police say shooter Stephen Paddock had an arsenal of weapons, including some equipped with bump fire stocks, in his hotel suite at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, from which he fired upon thousands during Jason Aldean’s Oct. 1 headlining set.

A note on Slide Fire Solutions’ website says, “We have temporarily suspended new orders to provide the best service with those already placed. Current orders are being processed and shipped as quickly as possible,” and provides an email address to be notified when they will be available again. The website advertises stocks for AR-15, AK-47 and other rifles.

Pollstar email sent to Slide Fire Solutions were not returned at press time.

Previous disasters like The Station nightclub fire that killed 100 and injured more than 200 in West Warwick, R.I., in 2003 unleashed avalanches of lawsuits against every party that was even tangentially involved. In the case of The Station, the lawsuits, many of which were consolidated into class action cases,  were not settled for at least half of a decade.