Stephen Paddock’s Estate

From the reports in the news and from the police, it appears that the shooter, Stephen Paddock, was a wealthy individual who may have had several million dollars at the time of his death. Stephen Paddock acted intentionally and deliberately. It is clear that he planned this mass murder and carried it out with the full intent to kill and injure as many innocent people as he could. Anyone who suffered injuries or damages As a Result of the Stephen Paddock’s killing spree is entitled to recover damages from his estate.

In addition to his estate, Stephen Paddock may have had life insurance. Depending on how long Paddock had the insurance and what type of life insurance plan it was, life insurance benefits may be available even though he committed suicide. It can reasonably be argued that the named beneficiary of Paddock’s life insurance should not receive the proceeds from the life insurance policy but, instead, those proceeds should be used to pay a portion of the injuries and damages caused to thousands of innocent victims. It would also be reasonable to expect that given the circumstances any beneficiary would want to waive their interest in the life insurance proceeds in order to make sure that as much money as possible is available to compensate the victims of Paddock’s horrendous actions.

Although Paddock was reportedly a multimillionaire, his estate is going to be insufficient to compensate the victims of his horrendous actions. According to the reports, Paddock murdered approximately 60 people. That means that there are 60 wrongful death claims that can be made against Paddock’s estate. In addition, between 500 and 600 people were wounded or otherwise injured by Paddock. Also, it is reasonable to anticipate that there are thousands of potential claims for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress against Paddock. The practical effect of this is that Paddock’s estate even if worth millions is going to be woefully insufficient to pay for the damages and injuries that he caused.

Since Paddock’s estate is not going to be sufficient to compensate his victims and their families, I suggest that anyone considering making a claim first discuss it in great detail with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. More likely than not, anyone making a claim, will be required to file a lawsuit. Lawsuits can be very stressful. A lawsuit could cause the wounds from the tragedy you have suffered to be opened and picked at for years. In addition, by making such a claim, your life could easily become an open book and you an additional target for Paddock’s estate’s lawyers. You need to be fully advised about what you’re getting into before you get involved in this type of lawsuit.