Afternoon Briefs: MGM to pay up to $800M in Vegas shooting; 141 partner promotions announced
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MGM agrees to pay up to $800M settlement in Vegas mass shooting
MGM Resorts International has agreed to pay up to $800 million to settle claims of alleged negligence in the October 2017 mass shooting by a guest at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Fifty-eight people attending a country music festival died at the event, and hundreds of others were injured. The plaintiffs had alleged that MGM failed to prevent shooter Stephen Paddock from stockpiling weapons in his hotel room and failed to protect people at the concert. An independent administrator will decide the individual claims. (The New York Times, the Associated Press)
US plans to collect DNA from detained immigrants
The U.S. Department of Justice is developing a regulation that would authorize immigration authorities to collect DNA from detained immigrants who are in the country illegally. The DNA profile would be entered into the national criminal database. Department of Homeland Security officials said the collection is allowed under the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005, but Obama administration officials had agreed to exempt immigrants from the law. (The New York Times)
Kirkland announces 141 partner promotions
Kirkland & Ellis has promoted 141 lawyers to partner, its largest new-partner class ever. Kirkland is the largest law firm by revenues but not by head count. Last year, the firm had about 2,300 lawyers, including about 430 equity partners and 566 nonequity partners. (Bloomberg Law, Law.com, Kirkland press release)
Judge censured for ordering handcuffing of woman in visitation dispute
A North Carolina judge has been censured for ordering the handcuffing and detention of a mother in a bid to get her twin sons to agree to visitation with their father. Judge Angela Foster of Guilford County told the boys that they could agree to six days of visitation with their father over winter break, or they could spend 60 days with their father while their mother sat in jail for contempt. (The Greensboro News & Record, the Legal Profession Blog, Law360, Sept. 27 censure)
