The theater was sued by families of the victims, who alleged the theater should have taken greater measures to prevent the such a shooting. In May 2016, after years of legal debate, a jury took three hours to deliver a unanimous verdict that the theater chain was not liable to any degree for the tragedy that transpired. As the prevailing party in the judgement, Cinemark sought nearly US$700,000 from the plaintiffs to recover litigation expenses. In September 2016, after objections from the victims, Cinemark dropped all claims for reimbursement of legal fees. A separate group of victims were also dismissed in federal court when US District Judge R. Brooke Jackson ruled: "Holmes' own premeditated and intentional actions were the predominant cause of the plaintiffs' losses."