The families of the people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have reached a historic $73 million dollar settlement in a decade-long lawsuit against the maker of the AR-15 weapon the gunman used.

“Twenty children were killed and six adults and a subset of families have been working over 10 years to get some accountability by the manufacturer,” said Michael Rodriguez, professor at UCLA School of Public Health. “Guns, even though they're a consumer product, are not monitored or regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In fact, in 2005 Congress provided them immunity from being liable from any civil suits.”

That immunity from the Lawful Commerce Act is why settlements from civil suits against gun manufacturers have been hard to come by in the past, making this settlement a big breakthrough, according to professor of law Carl Tobias at the University of Richmond.

“There was an exception in Connecticut law passed by their legislature, which made Remington come within the exception,” Tobias said.

The exception in the Connecticut statute has to do with how the weapon was advertised.

“They used marketing practices that were directed to try to again provide this persona, almost to sort of elevate this macho image," Rodriguez said. "And there was also some concerns about marketing to people who may sort of be vulnerable potentially with mental health problems.”

“What's interesting is a number of other states have rather similar statutes,” Tobias said.

Tobias says this case sends a message to gun manufacturers and their insurance companies of the importance of responsible marketing practices.

“What it also shows is that in the absence of stronger national and local regulations that there's also other tools like litigation that can that that can make this industry responsible,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez says civil suits are one of the few tools Americans have to hold manufacturers responsible.

 

LAKE WORTH, Fla. —

Ryan Batchelder’s mother describes him as "just sunshine."

"And very funny," Meg Batchelder said. "Everyone liked to be around him. He just had charisma. He had the 'it' factor."

In July of 2014, the entire Batchelder family traveled from their home in Lake Worth, Florida, to Lake Burton, Georgia, for a vacation.

Much of the family was out on a boat with Ryan sitting near the front. The front of the boat dipped below the water, sweeping Ryan away and into the propeller.

He was only 7 years old.

"My other son, he was 9 at the time, he was screaming, 'My brother's dead! My brother's dead!'" Batchelder said. "I was like, 'No, this can’t be.'"

The Batchelders filed a civil suit against the boat company, Malibu Boats, claiming the boat was not properly weighted, causing the bow to dip underwater.

On Saturday, the jury in Georgia returned its monumental verdict, saying Malibu Boats is liable for Ryan's death. They awarded the Batchelders $200 million in damages.

"I was very overwhelmed when I heard the verdict," Batchelder said. "I was just stunned and shocked."

Don Fountain, the Batchelder's attorney, added, "I think the jury’s verdict sends a loud and clear message to Malibu and the entire industry. And it speaks in the terms they understand: dollars and cents."

Malibu Boats did not respond to a request for comment on the verdict, but Fountain said he expects them to appeal the verdict.

While she's waiting for the next step in this long process, Batchelder said she will continue to work with Little Hugs, the foundation she created in Ryan's honor. The foundation provides stuffed animals for children in need.

"He loved stuff animals," Batchelder said of Ryan. "He had a wish, he had told me, to be Santa Claus and to have a million stuffed animals."

Batchelder said she can only imagine the good she could do if she ever saw any of the money from the verdict. But she also said this case was never about the dollars.

Both she and Fountain agree this is about responsibility.

"They need to do better. They need to be safer," Fountain said of boat companies. "And we hope that message will be heard loud and clear around the world."

Batchedler added, "I want to take it to the end. They need to be held accountable, and we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again."

Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to ERCOT and other power companies after millions of Texans were left in the dark amid winter weather.

The CIDs surround power outages, emergency plans, energy pricing and more.

“I’m using the full scope of my Constitutional powers to launch an investigation into ERCOT and other entities that grossly mishandled this week’s extreme winter weather. While Texans pulled together to get their communities through this disaster, they were largely left in the dark,” said Attorney General Paxton. “We will get to the bottom of this power failure and I will tirelessly pursue justice for Texans.”

Those who received a CID include:

• AEP Texas
• Calpine Corporation
• CenterPoint Energy Services
• ERCOT
• Griddy Energy
• La Frontera Holdings
• Luminant Generation Company
• NRG Texas Power
• Oncor Electric Delivery Company
• Panda Sherman Power
• Temple Generation I
• Texas-New Mexico Power Company

This article was written by Sydney Isenberg for KXXV.