Press Releases
11/12/2019
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON SCOTUS DECISION NOT TO TAKE APPEAL OF SANDY HOOK REMINGTON CASE
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to take up the appeal of a Connecticut Supreme Court decision giving Sandy Hook families the opportunity to prove that Remington-- the maker of the AR-15 used by the gunman in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary — violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) by marketing a military-style weapon to civilians."The families deserve their day in court, and the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act affords them that right. The AR-15 is a weapon of war designed to inflict maximum lethality and should never have been marketed to civilians. Connecticut's consumer laws were designed to protect against these kinds of harmful commercial activities. These families have suffered unimaginable trauma and heartbreak, and it is my sincere hope that this case provides a measure of justice. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act is not an impenetrable shield against all responsibility, and gun manufacturers must be held accountable just like any other manufacturer of a consumer product for actions that violate Connecticut law and harm the public," said Attorney General Tong.
The Office of the Attorney General filed an amicus brief with the Connecticut Supreme Court in April 2017 that argued that the Superior Court was wrong in dismissing the case in 2016, and that the Sandy Hook families did not need to have a business relationship with the defendants to have standing under CUTPA, as long as they alleged they were directly harmed by the defendants' commercial activity. The Office of the Attorney General filed the brief on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
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Media Contact:
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