Mandalay Bay Hotel
Air Force One departs Las Vegas past the broken windows on the Mandalay Bay hotel where shooter Stephen Paddock conducted his mass shootingReuters

MGM Resorts International is reportedly suing hundreds of victims of the 2017 Mandalay Bay massacre in Las Vegas, which claimed 58 lives and left over 850 people injured.

The company filed the lawsuits on Friday, July 13, in Nevada and California and said that it has "no liability of any kind" to the survivors or the kin of those killed.

"Plaintiffs have no liability of any kind to defendants," the complaints say, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. MGM has also said that it took reasonable steps and security measures to ensure that people's lives are not at risk, but cannot be held responsible for gunman Stephen Paddock's actions.

In a statement to 8 News Now, MGM spokeswoman Debra DeShong said: "The unforeseeable events of October 1 affected thousands of people in Las Vegas and throughout North America.

"From the day of this tragedy, we have focused on the recovery of those impacted by the despicable act of one evil individual. While we expected the litigation that followed, we also feel strongly that victims and the community should be able to recover and find resolution in a timely manner."

DeShong added that the best place to find a resolution would be the federal court.

In its lawsuit, the company has said that it is not seeking money but wants those suing it to drop the case as MGM is not liable for the attack.

MGM Resorts International's lawsuit comes after about 2,500 people sued the company after the attack and said that the hotel was negligent and failed to protect the people at the venue.

Now, MGM is facing a massive backlash from several quarters with many people calling its suit "obscure" and "outrageous."

"I've never seen a more outrageous thing, where they sue the victims in an effort to find a judge they like," Las Vegas attorney Robert Eglet, who is representing many victims of the attack, told Las Vegas Review-Journal. "It's just really sad that they would stoop to this level."

Stephen Paddock
Stephen Paddock, 64, the gunman who attacked the Route 91 Harvest music festival in a mass shooting in Las Vegas, is seen in an undated social media photoReuters

Eglet also spoke to USA Today and said: "In my 30 years of practice, this is the most reprehensible behavior I have ever seen a defendant engage in. They are trying to victimize these people twice."

Brian Claypool, a survivor of the attack, said that MGM's lawsuit was "a stunt" and it would not survive any argument in the court. "I am still in therapy once a week, and this is their way of trying to solve the problem," he explained. "It's shifting responsibility and minimizing their blatant negligence."

Social media users also lashed out at MGM for its lawsuit. While a user said: "This is just outrageous & wrong," another added: "being a Las Vegan, I must speak out about this. Can MGM not see how harmful this will be?"

The massacre took place at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on October 1, 2017, when 64-year-old gunman  Stephen Craig Paddock opened fire at people attending a country music festival.

Here are a few other reactions: