UnitedHealth reportedly tries to stop Luigi Mangione merch being sold

What’s New

UnitedHealth Group is seeking to prevent the sale of merchandise related to Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, according to one artist.

Rachel Kenaston, who is based in Brooklyn, New York, posted a screenshot of an email she reportedly received from TeePublic, a site selling custom apparel and designs, citing a Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, takedown notice from UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare’s parent company.

“So #UnitedHealthcare thinks they have the rights to my Luigi design?” Kenaston wrote in an Instagram story on December 16 that showed her drawing of Mangione.

Newsweek reached out to Kenaston for comment via Instagram and email. UnitedHealth Group and UnitedHealthcare have been contacted via email for comment.

Why It Matters

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has shone a spotlight on the state of the health care system in the United States. Many shared their frustration with UnitedHealthcare’s practices, and Thompson’s death was met with cheers or indifference by some who lionized the gunman as a folk hero.

Merchandise bearing the suspect’s likeness flooded online markets before Mangione’s arrest. After his arrest, merch—including T-shirts featuring Mangione’s booking photos and others taken from his social media accounts—began popping up for sale on several sites. Websites, including Amazon, eBay and Etsy, have moved to take down products that glorify violence or the suspect.

An eBay spokesperson told Newsweek that “items that glorify or incite violence, including those that celebrate the recent murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, are prohibited.”

Support for Mangione was widely expressed on social media following his arrest, with many using the hashtag #FreeLuigi. He has also become an online sex symbol, with numerous social media posts focusing on his appearance and physique. Others have expressed their support by donating more than $130,000 toward his legal bills through an online fundraiser.

What To Know

Thompson, 50, was gunned down as he walked alone to his company’s annual investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel on December 4.

Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate who comes from a wealthy and prominent real estate family, was arrested in connection to Thompson’s killing at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9 after a massive search.

He is being held without bail in Pennsylvania, where he is facing gun and forgery offenses. Prosecutors in Manhattan are seeking to extradite him to New York to face second-degree murder and other charges.

What People Are Saying

Sean Morrow, a writer for More Perfect Union, wrote on X: “Artist Rachel Kenaston shared an email saying UnitedHealth Group filed a DMCA claim to stop her from selling a merchandise with HER artwork of Luigi Mangione. There was no United logo on the design, just Luigi. How does that infringe on UnitedHealth IP or copyright at all?”

What’s Next

Mangione is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania on December 23.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said she would sign a request for a governor’s warrant to bring Mangione to New York as soon as an indictment is filed. A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he “is prepared to sign and process it promptly as soon as it is received.”

Mangione has retained Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former chief prosecutor at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, to represent him in New York.