Cinemark Bills Aurora Shooting Victims for $700,000

Theater chain seeks legal fees from survivors after being found not liable for security lapses

cinemark aurora shooting

The owners of the Aurora, Colorado, theater where 12 moviegoers were killed in a shooting in 2012 want nearly $700,000 from survivors and families of the victims.

According to the Denver Post, lawyers for Cinemark filed a “bill of costs” for $699,187.13 earlier this month in Arapahoe County District Court for fees associated with a lawsuit filed by more than 20 survivors and parents of those murdered that was eventually won by the theater chain.

The plaintiffs contended that the Century 16 theater where shooter James Holmes opened fire during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” was inadequately equipped.

Specifically, they claimed that the exit door used by Holmes to gain entrance to the theater should have had an alarm. They also asserted that a lack of armed guards and gaps in security camera coverage aided the attack.

Holmes was sentenced to life in prison last August when a jury could not reach a unanimous decision on whether to condemn him to death.

A jury sided with Cinemark in the civil case last month. According to Colorado court rules, the winner of such litigation is allowed to recover legal costs, but ultimately judges will decide whether the victims will have to pay the theater chain.

Cinemark owns more than 480 theater locations.

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