Remember the shooting at the midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises? Very tragic, 12 people dead, midnight screenings scrapped for most big movies in favor of 7 P.M. Thursday shows, etc.
Well, the families of the victims filed a lawsuit to recover damages—a lawsuit against the movie theater. As if the movie theater was responsible for a lunatic coming in and shooting the place up. As if the line to get into a movie theater should resemble the line to get onto an airplane. As if Cinemark should've hired TSA screeners to pat everyone down before they came in for their screening, or armed guards to take out an attacker.
Well, that obviously frivolous lawsuit ended as it should've, with Cinemark being found not liable for the actions of someone it did not employ and whose actions could not have been foreseen. And, in accordance with Colorado law, Cinemark is asking for its legal fees to be paid:
Cinemark attorneys want Aurora shooting victims who sued the theater unsuccessfully to pay the theater’s nearly $700,000 in legal costs.
The lawyers filed a bill of costs for $699,187.13 a Colorado court earlier this month, to cover money spent on preserving evidence, copying records, travel, and more, CBS reports.
Stupid people on Twitter are very upset about this and have launched a #BoycottCinemark campaign:
cc: @Cinemark #BoycottCinemark https://t.co/oKzmJyZR6P
— Dan Amboyer (@danamboyer) July 1, 2016
@Cinemark You're vile and disgusting and we will NEVER step foot into one of your shitty theatres again. #BoycottCinemark
— PopWrapped (@PopWrapped) July 1, 2016
Shameful! #BoycottCinemark ----> @Cinemark attorneys want Aurora shooting victims to cover $700k in legal fees https://t.co/GcPuVlrinz
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 1, 2016
Because, obviously, the company should just soak up $700,000 in legal fees they spent defending themselves from people who tried to wring money out of them for something that clearly wasn't their fault. Because, obviously, the people who filed the frivolous and, frankly, stupid lawsuit against the movie theater shouldn't bear any responsibility for their actions.
I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS.
Here's a pro-tip: if you don't want to get sued for legal fees, don't launch dumb suits trying to earn a quick payout from a company that isn't at fault in any way.
Anyway, I'm entirely #TeamCinemark on this one. Though I do feel a modicum of pity for the people goaded into filing suit. Honestly, I think the counsel for the plaintiffs should have to pony up most of the $700,000. There should be penalties for lawyers who encourage people who don't know any better to file utterly stupid lawsuits that have little chance of winning and should never have been brought in the first place.