Abstract
The MGM Grand Hotel Fire Litigation Collection dates from 1970 to 1982. The collection is comprised of litigation documentation stemming from the November 21, 1980 MGM Grand Hotel fire that killed 85 people and injured 700. Included in the documentation are descriptions of construction materials and furnishings, abstracts of transcribed depositions, a list of companies that were involved with the construction of the MGM Grand, a list of MGM Grand employees, and a list of attorneys involved with the litigation. Also included in this collection is a transcript from a Nova television broadcast "Why America Burns" and copies of the 1970 Building Code and Mechanical Code. Seven rolls of microfilm contain MGM Grand blueprints.
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Scope and Contents Note
The MGM Grand Hotel Fire Litigation Collection dates from 1970 to 1982. The collection is comprised of litigation documentation stemming from the November 21, 1980 MGM Grand Hotel fire that killed 85 people and injured 700. Included in the documentation are descriptions of construction materials and furnishings, abstracts of transcribed depositions regarding construction materials and processes, testimonies regarding the electrical system and the ways in which the fire and smoke spread, abstracts of transcribed depositions from eyewitnesses, a list of companies that were involved with the construction of the MGM Grand, a list of MGM Grand employees, and a list of attorneys involved with the litigation. Also included in this collection is a transcript from a Nova television broadcast "Why America Burns" and copies of the 1970 Building Code and Mechanical Code. Seven rolls of microfilm contain MGM Grand blueprints.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Where use copies do not exist, production of use copies is required before access will be granted; this may delay research requests. Advance notice is required.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain in original order.
Biographical / Historical Note
The MGM Grand Hotel fire claimed 85 lives and injured 700 people. Many died from smoke inhalation, not from the actual flames. The fire was a result of faulty ground wiring in “The Deli” restaurant. The restaurant had no sprinkler system. After this event, all areas of Las Vegas hotels are now required to have sprinklers. Over 1,000 lawsuits were filed against MGM Grand and other companies. A settlement fund distributed 223 million dollars to the victims. The hotel is now named Bally's Las Vegas.
Preferred Citation
MGM Grand Hotel Fire Litigation Collection, 1978-1983. MS-00225. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
MGM Grand Hotel blueprints were donated by the Taylor Construction Company in 1978. They were returned to the Taylor Construction Company in 1982. Copies of these blueprints on microfilm were given back to Special Collections and Archives in 1983; accession number 83-026.
Processing Note
In 2017, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Brooks Whittaker rehoused and arranged the materials, and revised the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.