“Deny, defend, depose” (3Ds of insurance company handling of claims)

“Delay, deny, defend” are often called the “3Ds” of insurance company handling of claims.  If a claim is delayed for a long time, and then denied, and then defended, the insurance company hopes that the claimant becomes discouraged and drops the claim, or accepts a low dollar amount on the claim.
 
“The network’s (CNN—ed.) 18-month investigation which aired this week on ‘Anderson Cooper 360’ found that tactics to ‘delay, deny and defend’ form the strategy of many auto insurance companies” was printed on PR Newswire; (New York, NY) on February 15, 2007. “Jury Trial Tip: Defeating the Strategy of: Delay, Deny, Defend. The trial tip for this week concerns directly attacking what is known as the ‘3 Ds’ often used by insurance companies to negotiate less than favorable compensation for people injured in accidents” was printed in the Record-Journal (Meriden, CT) on February 27, 2007.
 
The book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It (2010) was written by Rutgers Law professor Jay M. Feinman.
 
The “3Ds” became national news in December 2024, following the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City,. “A message left at the scene of a health insurance executive’s fatal shooting — ‘deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ — echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. The three words were written on the ammunition a masked gunman used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday” was printed by the Associated Press on December 5, 2024. “do you think he shot it perfectly ‘depose deny defend’ and he’s mad the media is reporting it in the wrong order? that would bother me” was posted on X/Twitter by ashley ray on December 5, 2024.
   
“Delay, deny, and hope that I die” is a similar saying, frequently said of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
   
 
Wikipedia: Delay, Deny, Defend
Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It is a 2010 book by Rutgers Law professor Jay M. Feinman, and published by Portfolio Hardcover, an imprint of Penguin Group.
 
Contents
The book examines the practices of insurance companies that prioritize profits over the interests of policyholders. Feinman highlights three key strategies used by insurers to reduce payouts: delaying claims processing, unjustifiably denying legitimate claims, and aggressively defending against disputes through litigation. Through detailed case studies and real-world examples, Feinman illustrates how these tactics impact consumers in areas such as health, auto, and homeowner insurance.
(...)
In popular culture
The words “deny”, “defend”, and what investigators believe to be “depose” were found written on the casings of the bullets used in the killing of the UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in late 2024, which the news outlets The Daily Beast and CNBC connected to the book.
 
15 February 2007, PR Newswire; (New York, NY):
Connecticut Citizens Fight for Justice from Auto Insurers;
HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/—Recent and upcoming reports on CNN illustrate how difficult it can be for auto accident victims to get fair compensation from insurance companies, even in seemingly straightforward and minor cases.
 
The network’s 18-month investigation which aired this week on “Anderson Cooper 360” found that tactics to “delay, deny and defend” form the strategy of many auto insurance companies.
 
The story outlined how insurances companies will offer to pay a fraction of actual expenses from an accident. If you are in a minor impact crash and get hurt, former insurance industry insiders told CNN, insurance companies will most likely try doing the same thing to you: delay handling your claim, deny you were hurt and defend their decision in drawn-out court battles.
 
Newspapers.com
27 February 2007, Record-Journal (Meriden, CT), pg. 13, col. 3 ad:
Closing Argument
by Tony Sheffy
Attorney at Law
Jury Trial Tip:
Defeating the Strategy of:
Delay, Deny, Defend
The trial tip for this week concerns directly attacking what is known as the “3 Ds” often used by insurance companies to negotiate less than favorable compensation for people injured in accidents. Lawyers representing insurance companies often are taught to delay a claim as long as possible. The hope is that if it takes too long to resolve a claim, the injured person will be discouraged and drop his or her claim.
   
Newspapers.com
7 October 2007, The Columbian (Vancouver, WA), “Holders of policies kicked when they’re down” by Brendan Williams, pg. C11, col. 1:
Delay, deny and defend. That is the insurance industry creed when it comes to insurance claims these days.
 
X/Twitter
Rick B.
@Healthierperson
If you have Allstate for your auto insurer, big mistake, big, big mistake. They live by the 3 D’s, Delay, Deny Defend.
7:52 AM · Jun 2, 2009
       
X/Twitter
Certified_nut
@Certified_nut
The 3 D’s apply to Nationwide they are Delay, Deny, Defend! #fail Nationwide is Not on your side!
1:14 PM · Jul 15, 2009
 
X/Twitter
Esther A
@Mameyaa
RT @STATEFARM_SUCKS STATE FARM HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE policy “3-D” (Delay,Deny & Defend) “do anything” to avoid paying—http://bit.ly/VAbNi
7:54 AM · Sep 23, 2009
 
X/Twitter
Maureen Cole
@MaureenCole
Excited to be working on our upcoming exposé of insurance companies & why they don’t pay claims—DELAY, DENY, DEFEND
1:13 PM · Dec 8, 2009
   
X/Twitter
ashley ray🍦stream ice cream money
@theashleyray
do you think he shot it perfectly “depose deny defend” and he’s mad the media is reporting it in the wrong order? that would bother me
12:35 AM · Dec 5, 2024
· 
Forbes
‘Deny,’ ‘Defend, ‘Depose’: What To Know About Words Reportedly On Shell Casings Tied To UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting
Molly Bohannon
Dec 5, 2024, 02:27pm EST
Thompson was fatally shot outside of the New York Hilton Midtown where an investor meeting for UnitedHealth Group was set to take place on Wednesday, and police were still looking for the suspected gunman as of Thursday at 1 p.m. EST.
 
Multiple outlets reported Thursday morning that police officials said there were three words—“deny,” “defend” and “depose”—written on shell casings found at the scene, though police have not publicly confirmed it.
 
AP
Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend
By TOM MURPHY
Updated 2:59 PM EST, December 5, 2024
A message left at the scene of a health insurance executive’s fatal shooting — “deny,” “defend” and “depose” — echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.
 
The three words were written on the ammunition a masked gunman used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday. They’re similar to the phrase “delay, deny, defend” — the way some attorneys describe how insurers deny services and payment, and the title of a 2010 book that was highly critical of the industry.
     
X/Twitter
Dark Father
@RealDarkFather
I’m assuming then that the correct order of the casings is
Depose
Deny
Defend
where, if caught, the perp/s intend to use the same defence strategy. I see another OJ Simpson Chewbacca Defence case in the making.
“It doesn’t make sense, you must acquit.”
6:47 PM · Dec 6, 2024
 
X/Twitter
Tristan Snook
@Epsilon2046
90% sure the intended order was supposed to be: Depose, Deny, Defend
Not Deny, Defend Depose
The original insurance saying (later to be used as a book title) goes Delay, Deny, Defend. I also think it just makes a bit more sense in context
Quote
BNO News
@BNONews
Dec 4
NEW: Killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson wrote “deny”, “defend” and “depose” on bullet casings - ABC
3:26 PM · Dec 10, 2024