Aurora Shooting Survivors Must Pay Cinemark Theaters $700,000

jezebel.com/four-survivors-of-the-mass-theater-shooting-in-aurora-m-1786018011

Four Survivors of the Mass Theater Shooting in Aurora Must Pay Cinemark At Least $700,000

After losing a lawsuit in federal court, four survivors of the horrific mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado must pay Cinemark, the company that owns the theater, at least $700,000. In June, when the suit was thrown out, Cinemark filed a demand that the plaintiffs pay the company’s litigation costs.
The shooting, perpetrated by James Holmes during a 2012 screening of

The Dark Knight Rises, killed 12 and wounded 70. Survivors of the attack and family members of the dead said they wanted to press Cinemark on whether they could have prevented the attack with better security, thus setting a higher standard for movie theaters across the United States.

cont.

Cinemark’s lawyers argued that the theater couldn’t have prevented the attack and that Holmes, who’s now serving multiple life sentences, was solely responsible. Both cases ended with absolutely zero legal liability for the theater, no visible policy changes, and a dizzying legal bill: in the state case, Cinemark filed a “bill of costs” for $699,187.13 in Arapahoe County District Court at the end of June.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times explained how the federal case crumbled and how the few remaining plaintiffs were left responsible for the astronomical legal fees of the other side. The case started to unravel in May when a separate group of 27 Aurora shooting survivors and family members lost their case in state court. A jury ruled Cinemark wasn’t liable for the attack. It was obvious that the other suit, originally filed in federal court by 42 survivors, would likely go the same way.

cont.

The judge in the case, District Judge R. Brooke Jackson, gave both sides 24 hours to come to a settlement agreement. According to the L.A. Times, who spoke to four people privy to the confidential negotiations, the theater and the victims came very, very close to a settlement, to the point where Cinemark had even drafted a press release to send out.

But at the eleventh hour, one woman decided she couldn’t take the deal. From the Times:

They decided on a split of $30,000 each to the three most critically injured survivors. The remaining 38 plaintiffs would equally share the remaining $60,000.

Attorneys with Cinemark drafted a news release to distribute the next day.

Then one plaintiff rejected the deal. Her suffering had been profound: Her child was killed in the shooting, she was left paralyzed and the baby she was carrying had been lost.

cont.

>mommy's gonna freak when she sees me on the news

Serves the fuckers right. Something terrible happened? Sue fucking everyone.

Marcus Weaver, who was shot in the shoulder during the attack and watched his friend Rebecca Wingo die at his feet, told the paper he knew then that the case had crumbled:

Weaver’s vision briefly blurred. The eight hours they had spent negotiating the deal, the weeks of the failed state court trial, the four years of anger at the theater since the shooting — all of it was for nothing.
“It was done then,” Weaver said.

He removed himself as a plaintiff immediately. So did 36 other people. Four plaintiffs remained on the case the next day, June 24, when Jackson handed down the order that Cinemark was not liable for the damages.

The costs in state court were close to $700,000, but the Times reports that the federal costs, for which those four people are now responsible, are expected to be much more.

FIN

It's a terrible thing that happened to these families but who told them it was a good idea to sue the god damn theater?

>americans now have to tip their designated theater shooters

MEME MAGIC

Saw this on facebook too, friend :^)

Basically the judge pleaded with the victims to accept a settlement, and all but one agreed. Since the one person would not agree to a settlement, it basically forced a frivolous lawsuit that was ultimately going to result in the victims having to take on court fees.

Not the theater's fault, certainly not the majority of victims' fault, just one schmuck who refused to agree to the settlement and forced a frivolous lawsuit that fucked the rest of them.

>survive a horrific shooting
>we deserve to be millionaires!

They weren't looking for fucking policy change. They should have been happy enough to still be alive instead of trying to capitalize on a tragedy. They got what was coming to them.

that's what they get for trying to sue the movie theater

that's what they get for filing a frivolous lawsuit

>who told them it was a good idea to sue the god damn theater?

>capitalism
>

enjoy calling me a cuck then going back to your wageslave 9 - 5 job, you bootlicking faggots

desu it's not that outrageous.

I understand why they feel upset and awful about the shooting, but the answer wasn't to get into an expensive and retarded lawsuit over it

Ruling is justified imo

>they wanted to press Cinemark on whether they could have prevented the attack with better security
>from an industry that charges 1000% markup on popcorn just to cover operating costs and is still dying
People are retarded.

what's wrong with capitalism? actual question.
give actual reasons, not vague stuff like "it leads to things like this" when you probably didn't even read the story.

>civil court

Doesn't that mean that they don't really have to pay shit if they don't want to?

>the one person would not agree to a settlement,
that involved them paying 30k each, you dolt

you're making it sound like they could have got off scott free

In what world is a movie theater liable for someone gunning people down?

>frivolous lawsuit

I ain’t no lawyer, but I thought a defendant could only sue the plaintiffs to recover legal fees if the case was deemed frivolous, like when people try to sue a gun manufacturer for a murder?

In this case, the plaintiffs were saying the lack of an alarm on the fire exit the shooter exited and reentered thru contributed to the deaths, which while I have to side with the theater, doesn’t sound frivolous to me.

>Japanese cosplayer
>Go to the theater
>Enjoy the movie with the director

>American cosplayer
>Go to the theater
>Shoot people

Pretty gross considering the multi-billion dollar theater chain could easily let this go.

Who else will be #dumpingforjustice in all Cinemark establishments until this is resolved?

I mean don't they have any kind of security there?

this. very american mind set - good to see your courts are finally turning this around. i understand the victims want to blame someone but come the fuck on.

There is no such thing as ethical consumption under a machine that divides and aids the ruling class.

No, I'm not a liberal - bourgie """"pc""" liberals are actually their favorite facade.

It's because Japan doesn't have any white "people".

So the survivors tried to sue the theater for something the couldn't prevent and they lost so the theater is asking for the money they lost in legal costs.

Seems fair. Stupid fucking idiots thinking they can extract a dollar out of everyone.

>>the one person would not agree to a settlement,
>that involved them paying 30k each, you dolt
>you're making it sound like they could have got off scott free

No, Cinamark was going to pay four of the victims $30K each and the other 38 plaintiffs would have gotten a bit over $1,500 each. Pretty cheep pay out for getting shot.

>America
Just fucking kill yourselves already

Maybe that's true. Capitalism is still the best option for overall prosperity, and the free market is the most resilient human construct I think ever existed.

If you're trying to argue ethics, it's way too subjective and wont get us anywhere.

should they have security at mcdonalds?

No it's a fucking theater. Theaters don't have that kind of security. Do you want every fucking theater to have metal detectors and shit like that? It is 100% not the theaters fault.

jew/gov wins twice

They gave you a reasonable settlement, and you were too stupid to take it.

...

Stupid lawsuit, but Cinemark demanding plaintiffs pay their legal fees is a little excessive and is going to make for some bad PR.

Where, other than a detroit ghetto would a movie theater have more security than a camera no one ever watches?

This is not a frivolous lawsuit by any means. That's fucking atrocious that a massive theatre chain would pursue attorneys fees from survivors of a mass shooting.

Source: am attorney

Didn't these fuckers try to sue Luckygunner and lose a bunch of money for the same reason? Why would they try this shit again on the theater? It's like they hate their own money

in black areas

nobody respond to this bait.

I don't think security is a requirement for any venues unless they're hosting VIP's or something, and I'm fairly certain that most security for any privately owned business is there to maintain the safety of the staff and property only. They don't give a shit about customers.

In the US? Probably.

uh, no, that's not how that works

In a world where McDonald's had to pay an outrageous amount to a lady that accidentally dropped hot coffee on her lap.

It wasn't a terrible idea to sue the movie theater - they were very close to winning $30,000-$60,000 each, times however many plaintiffs there were (37 removed themselves with 4 remaining, that's 41 plaintiffs total).

That's well over a million dollars, plus court fees that cinemark would have had to pay because they were settling, etc. These people came within a hair of winning a million dollar lawsuit, so yeah, it was a good idea in theory

>horrific thing happens
>sad times
>a bit of crying
>hmm you know what? we can sue and get rich!
>still playing victim tho lmao

fuck those cunts. good on Cinemark.

i'll be honest with you man i haven't read the ratio, but i imagine the judge imploring the plaintiffs to take the settlement was probably hinting to accept the goodwill the theatre was willing to offer.

the theatre probably admitted to a degree of fault but was clearly not responsible for the entire tragedy. to try and take the matter further for purely pecuniary reasons could be deemed frivolous.

Nice clickbait headline. Makes it sound like the theater is making all survivors pay $700000 each for the privilege of having survived or something and not something these four people totally did to themselves

Socialists and marxists deserve to suffocate.
Go move to Venezuela.

The system that aids the ruling class isn't capitalism. The system we have right now is nothing close to capitalism.

Also, marxists need to have boiling acid poured into their skulls.

they're probably just stupid and angry, and get conned by the horde of (((lawyers))) banging down their door

Does a bowling alley have security?
Does a Restraunt?

Like stfu, the people suing the movie theater should have been killed. Those are clearly beta humans trying to milk the system and the world could use less of those people.

Yeah, you were in an unfortunate circumstance, and trying to get paid for it, especially trying to grab it from a movie theater who had nothing to do with the events that transpired... is ludicrous.

>try to fuck over the theater for shekels
>doesnt work
>they pull it over on you and now you owe THEM money
fucking well deserved. i mean i would do the exact fucking same, but its a nigger thing to do. not even jewish. its nigger as fuck to try to profit from the death of a family member. they got fucked for it

>Pretty gross considering the multi-billion dollar theater chain could easily let this go.

I think it's disgusting that they expect the losing party to pay the exorbitant court costs considering how much they spent on their defense and it's a drop in the ocean to them, but if they had lost it would have meant millions more spent in upgrading security. Could mean walking through metal detectors to go see capeshit in cinemas. Sort of deterrent that could kill cinemas or at the very least severely hurt their bottom line.

I'd anticipate a few public boycott campaigns of this cinema before they issue a press release stating they will absolve and wear the court costs in the wake of public outcry and then everyone forgets about it in a week.

Fucking deserved it, that's like suing the columbine high school after the shooting

>starting your sentence with "I mean"
opinion discarded

Post bar license or fuck off

>So the survivors tried to sue the theater for something the couldn't prevent

As the article says, the survivors were claiming the lack of an alarm on the fire exit that the shooter exited and reentered thru contributed to the deaths.

Though as we can see from where the shooter parked, he was out and back in the theater within a minute or two and it's not like some 16 year old pimpled faced usher was going to stop him anyways.

Still, I don't see this as a "frivolous" law suit; the survivors had a point and lost the case but that shouldn't leave them holding the bag for Cinamark's legal costs.

they're within every right to seek reimbursement

but $700,000 is nothing compared to the horrific pr this will get them. what the fuck were they fucking thinking?

It wont matter anyway.

Court will put them all on a payment plan of like $5/week.

Or they'll appeal and it will be like 1% of the original claim.

They tried to sue the ammunition dealer first and lost a bunch of money on that as well. And then the ammo dealer donated all the money to pro 2nd amendment groups. That's about as cucked as you can get

yeah but once you set the standard, cost of business goes up and before you know it there's metal detectors and security everywhere. what about public transport, restaurants, hotels, privately owned retail outlets? how much security do they need? what sort of licensing is required to have differing levels of lethal force on the premises.

i guess the conservative US solution would be to give everybody guns?

why, so you can lifewreck me? Fuck off faggot, I make 6 figures and have been named a Super Lawyer in WA state. How much do you make? Mommy bring you a new plate of tendies? Loser

Good.

The movie theater was a victim right alongside you and you try to blame them in court? Go fuck yourselves.

>Try and sue Cinemark as if they could have done anything
>get fucked

sucks what happened to them but they shouldn't have been greedy.

Fire exits don't need to be alarmed. They have no obligation to put alarms on exits. Most fire exits are alarmed to prevent theft

This is a logical post.

This is a regular dumbass Sup Forums post

>Pretty cheep pay out for getting shot.

They're lucky they got offered anything at all. Cinemark is going to get some bad press from this, and ultimately lose some retarded customers like this who lack a 3rd grade reading level, but you can't really blame them considering they knew they were winning the lawsuit.

> Mommy bring you a new plate of tendies?

You say that like it's a bad thing. I would love to have tendies brought to me.

Why do you need a license to practice law?

Seems kind of like a bullshit cartel.

Holy fuck I'm glad I don't live in that shithole excuse of a "nation" called Estados Unidos.

lmao i get patted down and they take my crab legs and 6 pack but this dude somehow gets a AK-47 into the theatre and you guys think the theatre isnt at fault? You Sup Forums alt-right morons are deluded

>all the corporate bootlickers ITT

Good. I don't wanna just say fuck these people, since they obviously suffered a great deal, but it's just not reasonable to hold the theater responsible financially for this.

Crazy asshole killing a bunch of people doesn't somehow mean the owners of the place where he did it should pay the victim's lots of money. The precedent that would set would be awful. Then public places everywhere would have to "screen" for crazy assholes. Shit just happens.

And it's not like a payday, even how unjustifiable getting one from the premise owner is, is going to suffice for grievous injury and death.

>im a infantile liberal that wants the government to completely control my life

It is a total bullshit cartel. I have to do a shitload of continuing legal education courses taught by attorneys half my age with half my experience. The licensing fees are outrageous

This comment from Jezebel actually makes a good point:

>I live a mile away from what has to be the most incredible Cinemark theatre in the country. I told my wife's son to never give that company money again. Is the company responsible for what happened? Hell no. Are they responsible for how they reacted to lawsuits from shell shocked and grieving families? You bet. It’s the “cost of doing business”, something the corporate community has told us for years. Suck it, Cinemark. You are garbage.

what do liberals or the government have to do with this thread? you are the dumbest poster I've seen today, congratulations

The people suing Cinemark are stupid and should have lost the case, but Cinemark is even stupider than them for making the losers of the case pay their legal fees, Cinemark will lose well over 700k from the bad PR and boycotts that are going to happen.

>I make six figures as an attorney
>doesn't know how burden of proof works
Yeah eat shit kike

>let a psycho with multiple guns and gas grenades into the theater
>IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT!

What do they even mean by court and federal costs? Aren't those covered by taxes in America? If not, what the hell do your taxes even fund?

>huuurrduuurrrr EEEEVVVUULL CORPORATIONS MAAAAAANNN

Yeah bro you're totally not a raging libtard

>won't bend over for corporations
>yeah must be a liberal

Good. The legal system shouldn't be abused so often over ridiculous claims of fault

The same reason you need a license to practice medicine. Just like the human body, the various laws that make it up are complicated as hell and need to be interpreted correctly in order for them to be of any use. The only reason it feels like bullshit is because laws are made up by people and thus are subject to pure idiocy.

what an intelligently constructed post, you sure proved me wrong

sounds like the one that refused to take the settlement that lost her son, lost her unborn baby, and got paralyzed is one of the ones thats getting stuck with the check

kek

that is a really good post

>the coffee shop made my coffee too hot and I burned my mouth
>I should sue them

Okay Kramer.

Liberals are responsible for the sue culture. You need government to sue people.

Really easy.

plus muh corporations

do you want bank security in theaters now?

Crashing the funds of FOUR SURVIVORS

I don't know how it works on murica, but around here corporations are responsible for certain things that happen even if they aren't at "fault"

It's not their fault that the guy entered the theater with guns and shot people, but they have the responsibility to provide security in the theaters

Am I supposed to feel pitty? They got lawsuit happy and lost. They don't get a free pass because they're victims.

It'll still cost them less than implementing a bunch of useless security features in all their theaters and setting a precedent to lose further cases if another shooting happens

>be american
>get shot
>get sued for 700k for getting shot

land of the free

You didn't have a point.

Ingrate bastard become part of the greatest meme movie ever thanks to the shootings.
IMO he should do some time in prison.