MGM, plaintiffs agree to mediation in Vegas shooting cases

Casino giant MGM Resorts International is entering settlement talks with plaintiffs who allege negligence led to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history on the Las Vegas Strip.

In a statement Friday, the company said it hopes to avoid years of litigation in civil lawsuits in federal courts in Nevada, California and five other states.

A U.S. District Court judge approved an agreement between the company and plaintiffs' attorneys suspending court action in favor of out-of-court talks and canceling a scheduled Monday hearing in Los Angeles.

The agreement to seek mediation comes after federal court panel this month denied MGM Resorts' request to centralize 13 lawsuits stemming from the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting.

The company owns the hotel from which a gunman unleashed the massacre and a concert venue where 58 people were killed and hundreds were injured.