The new complaints come on the heels of existing lawsuits that were filed in September.
Four lawsuits representing a total of seven victims were filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado this week, alleging that Cinemark USA, Inc. d/b/a Century Aurora 16, was negligent and provided improper security during the screening.
Three of the suits, filed on behalf of the parents of Micayla Medek, Matthew McQuinn and A.J. Boik, who were killed during the massacre, cite "previous disturbances, incidents, disruptions and other criminal activities" that had taken place at or near the theater, including "at least one shooting," assaults and robberies.
The suits, filed by Jerome Malman, say that, while the theater employed security guards on Friday and Saturday night, no such security was in place at the July 20 incident, which took place very early on a Friday morning.
The complaints, which claim premises liability, negligence and wrongful death, add that the theater's exterior doors lacked alarm systems or other security features that would have alerted employees that the alleged gunman, James Holmes [pictured], "had surreptitiously left the theater by the exterior door and had put the door in an open position which would facilitate a surreptitious and unlawful re-entry."
That lack of security, the suits claim, allowed Holmes to allegedly bring "a virtual arsenal of weapons" into the theater without being detected.
"Because of the amount of weaponry and ammunition, the gunman required time without fear of monitoring to transport the weapons and ammunition from his car to inside the theater."
A fourth suit, filed by attorneys Michael G. Sawaya and Robert D. Wilhite on behalf of Dion Rosborough and Ryan Lumba -- who were struck by gunfire while fleeing the theater -- as well as Tony Briscoe and the father of A.J. Boik, makes similar allegations.
In September, Denise Traynom, Brandon Axelrod and Joshua Nowlan -- who were shot during the incident -- filed suit against the theater, claiming that it had inadequate security and failed to help theater patrons evacuate the building after the shooting.
Holmes, who has been charged with 24 counts of murder and 116 counts of attempted murder, is currently waiting to find out if he will found competent to stand trial for the shooting spree.
