The lawsuit brought by family members of those killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School has been watched closely over years of winding its way through the court system. But a new hurdle stands in the way of a much-awaited ruling.

Remington, one of the nation’s oldest gunmakers and a defendant in the lawsuit, recently filed for bankruptcy as its sales have declined and debts have mounted. The company manufactured the AR-15-style weapon used by the gunman in the 2012 attack in Newtown, Conn., in which 26 people, including 20 first graders, were killed.

The case is now before the Connecticut Supreme Court, where families brought an appeal with the aim of bringing the case to a jury trial. Remington’s bankruptcy does not guard the company from potential liability, but it has stalled the court from issuing a ruling on the lawsuit until the company emerges from the process. The court has been weighing the case after hearing oral arguments last year.

The families’ lawyers contend that the bankruptcy will ultimately have little influence on the case’s viability. “The bankruptcy proceeding doesn’t affect our claim,” said Katie Mesner-Hage, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, nine families who had a relative killed and a teacher who was shot and survived. “The only thing the process does is delay it to some degree.”