CENTENNIAL — Three victims of the Aurora theater shooting are seeking to look at sealed court documents in the case against the accused killer, James Holmes.

The three victims — Brandon Axelrod, Denise Traynom and Joshua Nowlan — are suing Cinemark, the owner of the theater, saying that lax security enabled the tragedy to occur. In a motion filed Monday, the victims ask to look at the arrest- and search-warrant affidavits, which would reveal details about how authorities believe the crime occurred.

They are also seeking access to transcripts of 911 calls made from the theater on the night of the shooting.

In the motion, filed by the victims’ attorney, Christina Habas, the three contended they need to see the information to pursue their civil suit.

“[T]heir inability to access certain important information that has been sealed by this court’s previous order interferes with their pursuit of that action,” Habas wrote in the motion.

The victims also said the state’s victims’ rights act requires prosecutors to consult with victims about certain aspects of the case — including plea deals and whether to seek the death penalty.

“The right to be consulted,” Habas wrote, “would be meaningless, without the right to understand the subject matter of the consultation.”

Viewing the information, Habas wrote, would allow the victims to “meaningfully consider their position as to any issue about which they must be consulted.”

The judge overseeing the case, 18th Judicial District Chief Judge William Sylvester, has given prosecutors and defense attorneys three weeks to respond to the victims’ request. After that, he will consider the matter more deeply.

But he did deny one request from the victims. Habas asked that her clients be allowed inside Theater 9 at the Century Aurora 16 cineplex prior to Cinemark changing or remodeling the theater.

“[C]urrent access to that theater is being prohibited because of the continuing investigation,” Habas wrote.

Sylvester ruled Tuesday that the theater has been “released” as a crime scene, meaning he has no jurisdiction to order that the victims be allowed inside.

Nowlan and Traynom, who were hit by gunfire in the theater, and Axelrod, who was seriously injured fleeing the shooting, have sued Cinemark, alleging that proper security procedures “would likely have prevented or deterred the gunman from accomplishing his planned assault on the theater’s patrons.”

Among other claims, the three asserted that the theater had no security guards on duty the night of the shooting, no one monitoring the parking lots and no mechanism to keep people from leaving the theater and then sneaking back in.

In its response, Cinemark’s attorneys said it can’t be expected to have foreseen such a tragedy.

“[T]he fault here lies entirely with the killer,” the company’s lawyers wrote in its motions to dismiss the suits.

Holmes is accused of killing 12 and injuring 58 more during a shooting rampage at a midnight showing of the new Batman movie. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, when Holmes’ attorneys will argue that the Arapahoe County sheriff’s office broke the judge’s gag order when it released a new mug shot of Holmes.

John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/john_ingold