$800 Million Approved for Victims of Las Vegas Mass Shooting

A judge has approved an $800 Million settlement for victims of the 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, making the decision just days before the tragedy’s three-year anniversary.

Fifty eight people died and hundreds more were injured when a gunman opened fire on the Las Vegas country music festival, while headliner Jason Aldean was onstage. The gunman used an arsenal of weapons and fired from his hotel room in the nearby Mandalay Bay resort and casino, and $50 Million of the settlement will come from Mandalay Bay owner MGM Resorts International, although the firm does not need to admit any wrongdoing. The remaining $750 Million is being covered by liability insurance.

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ROUTE 91🧡 On one hand it seems like an eternity ago, a nightmare you try to forget. On the other hand it’s vividness makes it seem like it was yesterday. 3 years ago… I was 8 months pregnant (had Memphis 2 months to the day from the shooting) and my husband was prepping like any other day to entertain thousands of fans. I used to live in Vegas so I had a bunch of friends at the show… little did we know our lives would change forever. The sound, the chaos, the overwhelming sadness and heartache… it’s something that never leaves you. They call us the “Route 91 Family” in my opinion because we are forever bonded. An experience that thankfully only certain people know. We have LOVED meeting so many of you who were effected on this day, years ago. Our hearts still break for the families who lost a loved one💔 We are thinking of each and every one of you today, and everyday… and to the men and women who ran towards the bullets to protect all of us… WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL🖤💙 #vegasstrong #countrystrong

A post shared by Brittany Aldean (@brittanyaldean) on Oct 1, 2020 at 7:46am PDT

The settlement follows a class action lawsuit brought by victims and their families, a number which now numbers more than 4,000 plaintiffs, according to CNN. It was first announced back in 2019 but finally approved on Wednesday (September 30), and will now go through a 30-day appeal process before being divided among the lawsuit’s plaintiffs. Two retired judges agreed upon by both sides will decide how the money is split up.

“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,” plaintiff attorney Robert Eglet told CNN.