MGM's Oct. 1 lawsuit

MGM Resorts International filed federal lawsuits against more than 1,000 Las Vegas mass shooting victims in July 2018. The lawsuits did not seek money from the victims. It was part of a broader strategy to use a law that was created in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001 as a legal defense. The lawsuit asked a judge to decide if the SAFETY Act is applicable to MGM The hospitality company claims that it is protected under the SAFETY Act because Contemporary Services Corp. — which oversaw security at the concert venue — was certified by the Department of Homeland Security. The SAFETY act limits or eliminates a company’s liability resulting from a terrorist attack if it developed or deployed security technology or services certified by DHS The act works as legal protection only if an event has been declared a terrorist attack by the DHS secretary. Current DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has not yet made a decision on whether the Oct. 1 shooting was a terrorist attack. “The matter is currently under review,” according to a statement on the agency’s website.