What does Deny, Depose, Defend mean? Theories surrounding slain CEO Brian Thompson bullet casings message explored

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was on his way to an investor’s conference when he was fatally shot outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York City on the morning of December 4.

Reportedly, bullet casings with the words, “Deny,” “Depose,” and “Defend” were found at the crime scene. NBC News reported that a senior NYC law enforcement official who was briefed on the ongoing investigation confirmed the same. These terms often indicate alleged tactics insurance companies such as UnitedHealthcare use to avoid paying the claims. AP defined it as a "rallying cry for insurance critics."

The exact motive behind Brian Thompson’s alleged killing remains unknown. His widow Paulette Thompson told NBC News on Wednesday that her late husband had been receiving “threats” lately which may have been related to “lack of coverage.” However, she was unable to provide more details.

“I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him,” Paulette added.

Meanwhile, the New York Police Department has described the Brian Thompson's killing as a “brazen, targeted” attack.

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Exploring the meaning of Deny, Defend, and Depose amid Brian Thompson’s murder

The NYPD has not officially confirmed the writings on the shell casings found at the scene of Brian Thompson’s murder. However, several outlets including Forbes and Associated Press reported that the words, “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were engraved on the bullets.

According to AP, these three words allude to a common phrase “delay, deny, defend” used by critics of the insurance or healthcare industry. They use the terms to refer to the strategies insurers adopt to “delay paying claims, deny valid claims in whole or part, and defend their actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation,” as per the 2010 book Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.

Penned by insurance law expert Jay M. Feinman, the book intends to expose “insurance injustice” and lay out a “plan for consumers and lawmakers to fight back.” Feinman, who is also a professor emeritus at Rutgers University explained that the insurance denial was based on “an increasing and systematic focus on maximizing profits by major companies.”

Notably, outlets like the New York Times and CNN reported that “delay” and “deny” were the words found on the shell casings rather than “deny,” “defend,” and “depose,” which further indicates that Brian Thompson’s killing may be have related to his work and was the doing of someone with a grudge against him and his insurance company.

Meanwhile, a Reddit user also referred to the above-mentioned book and explained that the words meant “delay paying for a claim, deny coverage for the claim, and defend... why it was denied.” The Redditor also alleged that UnitedHealthcare was one of the “worst offenders” and reportedly denied “an average rate of 32 percent of claims.”

“This is the beginning of the resistance. It should be turned into a bumper sticker. Deny. Defend. Depose. Repeat,” the person added.

Notably, UnitedHealthcare offers medical insurance to over 49 million Americans and acquired more than $281 billion in revenue over the last year, as per Fox 5. The company’s market capitalization stands at over $560 billion as per Forbes, which ranked it 19th among the world’s biggest insurance companies in 2023.

Meanwhile, the NY Times reported last year that Brian Thompson’s company denied rates from 7 to 27 percent in 2019, which has been on the rise ever since. AP, on the other hand, named UnitedHealthcare among other top profit-making insurers for becoming “frequent targets of criticism” from patients, doctors, and lawmakers in recent years for delaying, denying, and defending the insurance payments refusal.

In an October 2024 report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, UnitedHealthcare was also named in reference to “how the insurer’s prior authorization denial rate for some Medicare Advantage patients has surged in recent years.” Humana and CVS were other companies named in the report.

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On Wednesday morning around 6:45 am, 50-year-old Brian Thompson was shot from behind at close range, in his back, leg, and later on the chest. He was immediately rushed to the local Mount Sinai West Hospital in critical condition where he was later pronounced dead.

So far, the exact identity of the gunman remains unknown, as he continues to remain at large. However, the NYPD has released the photos of the suspect, while the video of the incident has gone viral online. NBC News reported the man may have traveled from Atlanta to NYC last month via Greyhound trip planner.

Witnesses gave descriptions to law enforcement and told investigators how the masked assailant was reportedly “lying in wait for several minutes” for the victim. As a result, NYPD concluded it was a “premeditated, pre-planned, and targeted” attack. They have announced a reward of $10,000 for anyone who knew about the suspect’s whereabouts.

Brian Thompson, who had been employed at UnitedHealthcare since 2004 became the CEO in April 2021.