More than four years after the tragic shooting at the Aurora Century 16 multiplex in Colorado, Cinemark today announced that it has reached a deal with the four remaining plaintiffs in the civil action against the chain. The agreement will see any appeals dropped and Cinemark’s pursuit of nearly $700,000 in legal fees halted.
“All plaintiffs in this matter have now waived appeal of the jury’s verdict and the case can now be deemed completely over,” attorneys for the nation’s third-largest theater chain said in a filing Tuesday in Colorado state court withdrawing its bill of cost. “Defendants’ goal has always been to resolve this matter fully and completely without an award of costs of any kind to any party.”
In what was seen as a very distasteful but legally permitted tactic by Cinemark, this summer the chain went looking for fees from plaintiffs. That group of more than two dozen were victims and surviving family members of those killed in the July 20, 2012, shooting at the Aurora theater during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. The action came after a Colorado state jury declared on May 19 that Cinemark was not responsible for the mass shooting tragedy. The plaintiffs had claimed that inadequate security measures at the Aurora Century 16 that night had allowed shooter James Holmes to kill 12 people and injury 70 others.
With several of the plaintiffs having reached deals with Cinemark in the past few weeks, the long fought out state matter truly seems to be finished. However, two paralyzed victims of a dismissed federal case are still appealing that issue. Cinemark has until September 20 to file paperwork declaring if it will seek legal costs from Stefan Moton and Ashley Moser or not.
