Las Vegas

SoCal Family of Las Vegas Shooting Victim Sues to Freeze Gunman's Assets

The family's attorney says he also plans to file suit against Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and its parent company, MGM Resorts International

The Santa Clarita family of a man killed in the Las Vegas mass shooting has filed a lawsuit aimed at freezing the gunman's assets.

John Phippen, 56, of Valencia was killed at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on Sunday when 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock shot and killed 58 people and injured more than 500 others.

The attorney for Phippen's family filed a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada. It seeks to block Paddock's girlfriend, Marilou Danley, and his brother, Eric, as Paddock's rightful heirs. NBC News reports Paddock was a successful gambler, earning at least $5 million in 2015.

"This is an action for the benefit of all the victims to preserve these assets," said the Phippens' attorney, Richard Patterson.

Patterson says he plans to file suit against Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and its parent company, MGM Resorts International. He also said one other victim could be joining the lawsuit.

"We hope that this doesn't happen again," Phippen's son, Nathan, told NBC4 News outside of the courthouse. "This is a terrible loss for not only our family, (but) the community and the world because we lost an amazing person."

Contact Us