Movie theater seeks $700,000 from mass shooting victims

A jury recently ruled that Cinemark was not responsible for the 2012 massacre

(Brennan Linsley/Associated Press)

After a jury ruled that Cinemark was not responsible for the 2012 massacre in Aurora, Colorado, the owner of the movie theater is seeking $700,000 from the victims of the mass shooting.

The original lawsuit made by the victims’ families argued that the chain should have provided more security to prevent the shooter from killing 12 people and injuring 70 others during the airing of The Dark Knight rises. Cinemark would go on to win the case on June 24.

Now, Cinemark has filed a “bill of costs” against the families requesting $699,187.13, The Denver Post reports. Under Colorado law, winners of civil cases are allowed to recover litigation costs.

“The Court concludes that a reasonable jury could not plausibly find that Cinemark’s actions or inactions were a substantial factor in causing this tragedy,” US District Judge R Brook Jackson wrote in his ruling last month.

Sandy Phillips, a mother who lost her daughter in the massacre, tweeted her response to the lawsuit on Friday.

“Please boycott Cinemark,” Phillips said on Twitter. “Don't add to their $194 million profit while they come after Aurora victims who have lost everything.”

Plaintiffs are currently deciding whether they will file an appeal to the case, in which most cases the "bill of costs" request will be dropped when no appeal is filed.