Sandy Hook suit against gunmaker Remington set for trial in 2021

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A Connecticut judge has scheduled a trial date for a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the assault rifle used to kill 20 young children in the Sandy Hook school shooting seven years ago.

Connecticut Superior Court judge Barbara Bellis sided with the victims' families Wednesday and set the trial for September 2021. Attorneys for Remington Arms -- which made the AR-15 Bushmaster used in the Dec. 14, 2012, attack -- asked for a court date in 2022. Since the suit has been on the docket since 2015, Bellis ruled, 2022 is too long for the families to wait.

"After nearly five years of legal maneuvering by Remington, we will finally discover what went on behind closed doors that led to the company's reckless marketing of the Bushmaster AR-15," plaintiffs attorney Josh Koskoff said. "The families' faith in the legal system has never wavered and they look forward to presenting their case to a Connecticut jury."

The families argue Remington violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, by knowingly marketing a military-use weapon to civilians. Bellis dismissed the suit in 2016 citing a different law, but the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned her decision last year, saying the case should've moved forward under the Unfair Trade Practices Act.

An unsuccessful appeal by Remington to the U.S. Supreme Court delayed the suit.