Some facts to chew on:
- If Remington had a paid-up insurance policy at the time of Sandy Hook, that insurance company is on the hook to pay out.
- If you carry insurance, the decision to fight or pay up is not yours, but is strictly up to the insurance company! All policies have that wording in them, giving them the right to settle regardless of the merits of the claim. Insurance companies are more willing to pay out and move on than pay unending legal fees for a long, drawn out court battle.
I'll give you a personal example of this:
Back just before MA went to no-fault auto insurance, another driver blew a stop sign and drove into the side of my car. He never filed an accident report, his DL listed an empty lot in Roxbury for his address, etc. He hired a lawyer and doctor to file a lawsuit against me for bodily injury. My insurance company told me to my face that the doctor and lawyer were well known to them for fraudulent claims. The guy refused to go to a doctor that my insurance company wanted him to see. My company told me that they were going to pay him off to make him go away. I warned them that I would turn my company into the AG's office if they did that, as I have no tolerance for fraud. A year later when I had reason to visit my insurance company's office, when they opened my file folder I saw the copy of the check they sent him. I reported them to the AG's insurance fraud bureau and dropped the company. However, I have learned that this is SOP in the insurance industry.