The Aurora shooting survivors' $700,000 legal bill shows the difficult reality of one Colorado law
REUTERS/Evan Semon
The survivors had filed an unsuccessful federal lawsuit alleging that the theater's security flaws had helped enable the attack that left 12 dead and more than 70 injured in 2012.
The judge first urged the plaintiffs to settle, but ruled after the deal collapsed that Cinemark was not liable for the shooting, according to the Los Angeles Times. Colorado law allows the winning side of civil cases to seek costs, so plaintiffs were then ordered to pay more than $700,000 to Cinemark to reimburse the theater chain's legal fees.
Marcus Weaver, one of the shooting survivors and a plaintiff in the case, told the Los Angeles Times he had been hoping a settlement would push Cinemark to implement new safety measures that could protect theatergoers in the future.
But after one plaintiff rejected the settlement offer, the remaining plaintiffs were left with no acknowledgment of liability from Cinemark, no guarantees of improved theater safety, and a colossal bill for the company's litigation costs.
"Theaters aren't any safer," Weaver said. "We all knew they were liable. We knew they were at fault."
Weaver also said he had been approached by a federal magistrate judge who likened the failed case to the slow pace of the civil rights movement.
"It was the biggest smack in the face," Weaver said. "He was basically telling us, 'You're right, they're basically at fault, but there's justice and then there's true justice.'"
- Volumes up, values down: India's deal-making marks notable shifts in April
- 10 best kid-friendly summer vacation destinations in India
- “Are you accusing me of bullying the US?” jokes EAM S Jaishankar when asked about India-US relations
- As rain and snow events become more intense, so could our earthquakes, study finds
- India-EU FTA 'most difficult, complex' due to non-trade issues: EAM Jaishankar
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market