Sandy Hook families, Remington reach $73M settlement

Gunmaker Remington Arms Co. and the families of the victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have reached a historic settlement, according to court documents.

Court documents did not provide a specific monetary amount of the settlement, but The Associated Press reported that the agreement’s price tag amounted to $73 million. The development is significant because it demonstrates that, following a U.S. mass shooting, a gunmaker was held responsible for the incident, according to NBC News.

The development follows a years-long lawsuit against the gun manufacturer, which created the rifle used by 20-year-old Adam Lanza during the school shooting, which left six teachers and 20 children dead.   

“The plaintiffs request that the Court set a status conference, to be held at a date convenient to the Court and counsel for the parties so that the parties may further report on the settlement, including what must be accomplished before the case can be withdrawn,” the court filing reads. “The plaintiffs further request that all scheduling deadlines be suspended. The Remington defendants join in these requests.”

Families of the victims who died during the deadly shooting in Newtown, Conn., alleged that the gun used during the shooting, an AR-15–style Bushmaster rifle, was marketed as a war weapon and claim that the gun manufacturer is partly responsible for the shooting. 

The lawsuit against Remington, which filed for bankruptcy in 2020, was cleared by a Connecticut court to move forward in March 2019.

Later that year, the Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal from Remington over the families’ lawsuit after the gun manufacturer pointed to a 2005 law that shields gunmakers from responsibility when their weapons are used during criminal acts.

Since then, the lawsuit against the gun manufacturer has been characterized by several unusual twists and turns on the part of Remington, which last year submitted an odd batch of GIFs, video files and cartoons. At one point, Remington’s lawyers also requested school records from five children who died following the shooting.

The Hill has reached out to Remington’s lawyers and attorneys representing the families for comment.

Updated at 11:50 a.m.