Quinnipiac University School of Law professor W. John Thomas, who has published pieces on gun violence, said he believes Remington Arms Company LLC saw the writing on the wall in yearslong litigation and decided it was in its best interest to settle now.

Thomas is among legal experts who aren’t surprised at the $32.94 million offer from Remington to families of people killed during the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. They say a jury hearing the evidence could easily have rendered a verdict beyond that amount.