TRUMBULL, CT (WFSB) – An attorney for the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting spoke about a settlement in their case against the maker of the weapon used in the shooting.
The case was Soto Et Al, which included nine Sandy Hook families, v. Bushmaster Firearms International.
A news conference with the families is set for 11 a.m. at the Trumbull Marriott Shelton. Stream it live below:
It’s a $73 million settlement, the families’ counsel confirmed.
Remington Arms initially offered $33 million.
First filed in 2014, the lawsuit argued that gun manufacturer Remington aggressively marketed the assaultive and militaristic capabilities of the weapon used in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, purposefully appealing to the very kinds of people most likely to commit mass murder.
Remington denied the allegations.
Initially described by legal experts as “a losing proposition,” the families’ legal effort to help prevent “the next Sandy Hook” continued through seven years of legal challenges and two Remington bankruptcies.
According to court documents on Tuesday, a settlement agreement was reached between both parties.
“These nine families have shared a single goal from the very beginning: to do whatever they could to help prevent the next Sandy Hook. It is hard to imagine an outcome that better accomplishes that goal,” said Josh Koskoff, lead counsel and Partner at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. “This victory should serve as a wake up call not only to the gun industry, but also the insurance and banking companies that prop it up. For the gun industry, it’s time to stop recklessly marketing all guns to all people for all uses and instead ask how marketing can lower risk rather than court it. For the insurance and banking industries, it’s time to recognize the financial cost of underwriting companies that elevate profit by escalating risk. Our hope is that this victory will be the first boulder in the avalanche that forces that change.”
Twenty six students and staff members were killed in the shooting, which happened at the school in Newtown in 2012.
State police said the gunman used an AR-15.
“My beautiful butterfly, Dylan, is gone because Remington prioritized its profit over my son’s safety,” said Nicole Hockley, whose son Dylan was killed in the shooting. “Marketing weapons of war directly to young people known to have a strong fascination with firearms is reckless and, as too many families know, deadly conduct. Using marketing to convey that a person is more powerful or more masculine by using a particular type or brand of firearm is deeply irresponsible. My hope is that by facing and finally being penalized for the impact of their work, gun companies, along with the insurance and banking industries that enable them, will be forced to make their business practices safer than they have ever been.”
The document announcing the settlement can be read here.
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