T-shirts, mugs and stickers bearing the words “Deny Defend Depose” appear for sale on e-commerce websites a few days later Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot to death in New York City.
Those words were scribbled on three casings found at the scene of the Dec. 4 shooting in Manhattan, according to law enforcement sources, and loosely echoes the title of a book about why insurance companies deny patient claims. The title: “Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” by Jay Feinman, is described on Amazon as “an exposé of insurance injustice and a plan for consumers and legislators fight.
Feinman has declined to comment on recent events, including the words police say were written on the shell casings.
Sellers on the online marketplace Etsy list more than 800 items bearing “Deny Defend Depose,” including stickers, candles and clothing, while eBay sells stickers, clothing, lawn signs and cell phone cases with the phrase.
In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, eBay said selling items with the words does not violate its policies. But the company added that “articles that glorify or incite violence, including those celebrating the recent killing of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, are prohibited.”
Amazon said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch that it had pulled similar merchandise from its platform, saying the products violated the company’s guidelines.
Merchants often rush to market merchandise related to dramatic current events, even when they involve violence. After President-elect Donald Trump was hit in the ear by a bullet an attempted murder over the summer, for example, vendors quickly began selling merchandise with images of Trump at the rally. Many products were also sold online and in stores immediately after the 9/11 attacks.