Cinemark Forgives $700k Bill to Aurora Theater Shooting Victims

Movie theater owner Cinemark, which was sued by victims of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado, shooting that left 12 people dead and 70 injured, dropped a claim on Tuesday for nearly $700,000 in legal fees, according to the Denver Post.

Cinemark’s legal team filed a “bill of costs” for $699,187.13 in early June in Arapahoe County District Court for fees associated with a lawsuit filed by survivors of those murdered that was eventually won by the theater chain.

The company’s decision to drop the claim bookends a long legal battle between the two parties.

Also Read: Cinemark Bills Aurora Shooting Victims for $700,000

Private negotiations between Cinemark and the shooting survivors that occurred in late June were pieced together in a recent Los Angeles Times report that also outlined the financial fallout that the four victims faced.

The survivors, who claim Cinemark was negligent, were unsatisfied with the terms of a lawsuit settlement and knew that rejecting it could have harsh financial repercussions.

“Either seek justice and go into debt, or take that pitiful offering of money and the improved public safety,” theater shooting survivor Marcus Weaver told the L.A. Times.

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The plaintiffs contended that the Century Aurora 16 theater where shooter James Holmes opened fire during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” offered inadequate security.

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.

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Cinemark owns more than 480 theater locations.

Cinemark did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.