Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
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Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
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October 1 litigation. We and/or certain of our subsidiaries were named as defendants in a number of lawsuits related to the October 1, 2017 shooting in Las Vegas. The matters involve in large degree the same legal and factual issues, each case being filed on behalf of individuals who are seeking damages for emotional distress, physical injury, medical expenses, economic damages and/or wrongful death. Lawsuits were first filed in October 2017 and include actions originally filed in the District Court of Clark County, Nevada and in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, California. In June 2018, we removed to federal court all actions that remained pending in California and Nevada state courts. We also initiated declaratory relief actions in federal courts in various districts against individuals who had sued or stated an intent to sue.
In connection with the mediation of these matters, we and law firms representing plaintiffs in the majority of pending matters and purporting to represent substantially all claimants known to us (collectively, the “Claimants”) have entered into a settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) whereby, subject to the satisfaction of certain monetary and non-monetary conditions, our insurance carriers will deposit funds into a settlement fund covering the plaintiffs and certain other cases that emerged or were filed prior to October 1, 2019. Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, we expect that the total amount placed in the fund to be between $735 million and $800 million, subject to and depending on obtaining a minimum level of participation with escalators based on greater participation increasing the amount payable up to $800 million in the event of 100% participation by certain categories of claimants, as defined in the Settlement Agreement. We have $751 million of insurance coverage available to fund. Following the mediation a few additional lawsuits were filed against us and/or certain of our subsidiaries. While it is possible that these lawsuits may be resolved as part of the Settlement Agreement, no assurances can be made that they will be included. Although we continue to believe we are not legally responsible for the perpetrator’s criminal acts, in the interest of avoiding protracted litigation and the related impact on the community, we believed it was in the best interests of all parties involved to negotiate and enter into the Settlement Agreement. As a result of the foregoing, we believe that it is probable a loss will be incurred and, as of December 31, 2019, we accrued a liability of $735 million, which represents the low end of the range of probable loss. In addition, we recorded an insurance receivable of $735 million, which represents the entire amount of the liability recorded for the settlement of these cases. While we intend for substantially all claimants to be covered by the Settlement Agreement, it remains possible that certain claimants may not join the settlement. In addition, no assurances can be given that the significant conditions to the Settlement Agreement will be satisfied by the Claimants.
If the conditions in the Settlement Agreement are not satisfied and the mediation stay is lifted, we are currently unable to reliably predict the future developments in, outcome of, and economic costs and other consequences of any such litigation related to this matter. We will continue to investigate the factual and legal defenses, and evaluate these matters based on subsequent events, new information and future circumstances. We intend to defend against any such lawsuits and believe we ultimately should prevail, but litigation of this type is inherently unpredictable. Although there are significant procedural, factual and legal issues to be resolved that could significantly affect our belief as to the possibility of liability, we currently believe that it is reasonably possible that we could incur liability in connection with certain of these lawsuits. The foregoing determination was made in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as codified in ASC 450-20, and is not an admission of any liability on our part or any of our affiliates. Given that these cases would be in the early stages, and in light of the uncertainties surrounding them, we do not currently possess sufficient information to determine a range of reasonably possible liability. The insurance carriers have not expressed a reservation of rights or coverage defense that affects our evaluation of potential losses in connection with these claims. Our general liability insurance coverage provides, as part of the contractual “duty to defend”, payment of legal fees and associated costs incurred to defend covered lawsuits that are filed arising from the October 1, 2017 shooting in Las Vegas. Payment of such fees and costs is in addition to (and not limited by) the limits of the insurance policies and does not erode the total liability coverage available.
Other. We are a party to various legal proceedings, most of which relate to routine matters incidental to our business. Management does not believe that the outcome of such proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
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