Merchandise featuring the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” — the same ones allegedly written on shell casings police discovered at the site of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder — has been flooding e-commerce platforms.
The phrase, likely linked to the title of the book, “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” was featured on hats, T-shirts, and pint glasses sold on Amazon, per CNN. A source told CNN that the murder merch has since been pulled off their platform as it “violates company rules.”
However, the Guardian reports that Etsy, RedBubble and eBay, continue to sell a number of “Deny, Defend, Depose”-related items. NBC News lists lawn signs, stickers, mugs, fake bullets and Christmas ornaments among the 100 items they saw.
While many of the products simply feature those three words, others feature imagery of Mangione, guillotines, guns, and targets.
Most online sellers prohibit sales that explicitly call for violence, but eBay’s policy appears to be more vague. A representative told NBC that “eBay policies do not prohibit the sale of items with the phrase ‘Deny. Defend. Depose.,’ however, items that glorify or incite violence, including those that celebrate the recent murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, are prohibited.”
Check here for more on what is known about alleged gunman Luigi Mangione, his possible motives, and the work that went into his capture.
