A historic win against gun manufacturers

Sandy Hook families win a historic settlement against the gun manufacturer that supplied the weapon that shot their children; could Russia be withdrawing troops from Ukraine?

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Sandy Hook families win $73M settlement against gun manufacturer

Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

• The families of nine people killed in the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School announced a $73 million settlement against Remington Arms, marking the first time an American gun maker has been held liable for a mass shooting. [Washington Post / Kim Bellware]
• The families claimed the company irresponsibly marketed its Bushmaster AR-15-style weapon, which was used to kill 20 first graders and six teachers, by advertising the gun in video games like the ones the gunman played. [USA Today / Christine Fernando]
• The now-bankrupt Remington — which offered the families $33 million last July — argued federal law prohibits gun manufacturers from being held liable in cases involving their weapons. [NBC / Elizabeth Chuck]
• However, that law has an exemption allowing litigation when a manufacturer violates state or federal sale or marketing law. The families argued Remington had violated Connecticut law governing deceptive advertising, and in 2019, the Supreme Court allowed the case to move forward. [CNN / Sarah Jorgensen, Jason Hanna, and Erica Hill] 
• As part of the settlement, the families will be allowed to release internal documents that allegedly shed light on Remington’s wrongdoing. “These nine families have shared a single goal from the very beginning: to do whatever they could to help prevent the next Sandy Hook,” Josh Koskoff, the families’ attorney, said in a statement. [NPR / Frankie Graziano and Laurel Wamsley]
• While the case is historic in its outcome, the victory is unlikely to impact other lawsuits brought by families of victims of gun violence since it succeeded through both a narrow exception in federal law and the existence of the Connecticut marketing law. [NYT / Rick Rojas and Karen Zraick]

Is Russia withdrawing troops from Ukraine?

• Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial withdrawal of troops from military exercises near its border with Ukraine on Tuesday in a move that could signal the easing of tensions. However, officials in the West remain skeptical the drawdown will happen. [Guardian / Andrew Roth and Philip Oltermann]
• Over the past few months, Russia has gathered 130,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, demanding assurances that NATO would not accept Ukraine as a member and that the bloc would not expand further east. The US and its allies say the demands are nonstarters. [AP / Vladimir Isachenkov and Yuras Karmanau]
• Though NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he’d seen no evidence of a pullback, he said “there are grounds for cautious optimism,” and that diplomacy between the West and the Kremlin should continue. [Washington Post]
• President Joe Biden will speak on Ukraine Tuesday afternoon. “He will speak about the situation on the ground, the steps we have taken, the actions we are prepared to take, what’s at stake for the US and the world, and how this may impact us at home,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted. [CNN]

Accounting firm Mazars USA says it can no longer vouch for the 10 years of financial records it did for the Trump Organization, a statement that could affect financial investigations into the ex-president and his family. [NPR / Ilya Marritz and Hansi Lo Wang]

• Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre have reached an out-of-court settlement in a civil sexual abuse lawsuit. [NYT / Benjamin Weiser]
• Novak Djokovic says he is willing to miss upcoming tennis tournaments over coronavirus vaccine requirements. [BBC / Amol Rajan]
• An American research team says they have potentially cured HIV in a patient by using a novel stem cell treatment. [NBC / Benjamin Ryan]

“Today marks an inflection point. Today is a day of accountability for an industry that has thus far enjoyed operating with immunity and impunity, and for this, I am grateful.”

Veronique de la Rosa, the mother of 6-year-old mass shooting victim Noah Pozner, comments on the importance of the historic settlement at a press conference Tuesday. 

Sean Illing talks with David Sirota, the journalist turned Oscar-nominated co-writer (with director Adam McKay) of the film Don't Look Up. [Spotify]

Read more from Vox

Why there’s been a surge of bipartisan activity in Congress

Enough with the Ukraine war predictions

The shocking decision to allow Kamila Valieva to skate at the Olympics, explained

Covid-19 created America’s next health care crisis: The cancers we didn’t catch early

Apple broke Facebook’s ad machine. Who’s going to fix it?

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.