^ Yeah, that was my thought. My experience working in the Evil Insurance Empire was that we all pretty much knew where the money came from. Some were there as a career, others like me were there because it was a way to get coverage for either ourselves or our family.
Back in the day a common issue was chronic pain - insurance companies don’t want to pay to deal with it, will imply it’s imaginary or exaggerated, etc. One doctor we had on the review panel once said (paraphrasing) pain isn’t disabling, lots of people hold down a job even if they’re in constant pain which gives you an idea of the mindset of some of the decision makers.
If the guy had back surgery and it didn’t fix the problem or he still had a problem, or it created a problem, or he had constant pain… well, maybe that was a factor. But I don’t know.
It’s a defense attorney’s job to defend his client no matter how guilty looking. Given that the guy was (allegedly) on video shooting someone else in the back more than once that will necessitate some straw-clutching.
Nope - appearances are a Big Deal at that level. Executives might be more open about it these days, but even 20-30 years ago when I was working as an “administrative assistant” that sort of thing was pretty common for the upper level men, right along with high-end expensive fitted suits and all the other accoutrements of wealth and success in our society.
Even more so for any female executives.