Originally Posted by
joshs
Soto v. Bushmaster Firearms Int'l, LLC, 331 Conn. 53, 98 (2019).
Here are the factual allegations relied upon by the Court that they found could support a wrongful marketing claim under CUPTA:
The plaintiffs further contend that the defendants' unethically promoted their assault weapons for offensive, military style missions by publishing advertisements and distributing product catalogs that (1) promote the AR-15 as “the uncompromising choice when you demand a rifle as mission adaptable as you are,” (2) depict soldiers moving on patrol through jungles, armed with Bushmaster rifles, (3) feature the slogan “[w]hen you need to perform under pressure, Bushmaster delivers,” superimposed over the silhouette of a soldier holding his helmet against the backdrop of an American flag, (4) tout the “military proven performance” of firearms like the XM15-E2S, (5) promote civilian rifles as “the ultimate combat weapons system,” (6) invoke the unparalleled destructive power of their AR-15 rifles, (7) claim that the most elite branches of the United States military, including the United States Navy SEALs, the United States Army Green Berets and Army Rangers, and other special forces, have used the AR-15, and (8) depict a close-up of an AR-15 with the following slogan: “Forces of opposition, bow down. You are single-handedly outnumbered.”
Finally, with respect to this second, wrongful marketing theory of liability, the plaintiffs contend that the defendants' marketing of the XM15-E2S to civilians for offensive assault missions was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiffs' injuries. Specifically, they contend that Lanza had dreamed as a child of joining the elite Army Rangers unit of the United States Army and was, therefore, especially susceptible to militaristic marketing. They further contend that he selected the XM15-E2S for his assault from among an arsenal that included various less lethal arms—at least three handguns, one shotgun, two bolt action rifles, and three samurai swords—and that he specifically chose the XM15-E2S not only for its functional capabilities, including its assaultive qualities and efficiency in inflicting mass casualties, but also because of its marketed association with the military. Finally, they contend that Lanza was a devoted player of first person shooter games featuring variants of the XM15-E2S and that he employed techniques taught in those games to enhance the lethality of his assault on the school. In other words, the plaintiffs allege that the attack, had it occurred at all, would have been less lethal and the carnage less grievous if Lanza had not been encouraged by the defendants' marketing campaign to select the XM15-E2S as his weapon of choice and taught by violent video games how to kill with it most efficiently. Additional facts and procedural history will be set forth as necessary.
Id. at 74–75 (2019).
The obvious problem with this theory is Adam Lanza didn't select the firearm at all, his mother did. They also lacked evidence that Lanza had actually consumed any of the marketing that is alleged to have been a cause for him to carry out the attack.