Following First Jury Verdict Against Gun Maker Sig Sauer, 10 More Injured Owners Of Its “Dangerously Defective” P320 Pistol Are Suing The New Hampshire-based Company
12 July 2024 - 1:24AM
Following the landmark $2.35 million Federal jury award against
embattled gun maker Sig Sauer on all counts, 10 more victims of its
“dangerously defective” P320 pistol are the latest to file federal
product liability and negligence claims against the company in its
home state of New Hampshire, according to Saltz Mongeluzzi
Bendesky. The firm has now filed more than
65 such lawsuits to hold the global gun giant
accountable for knowingly manufacturing an inherently defective
weapon with a long history of firing without the user ever touching
the poorly designed, highly sensitive pre-cocked trigger. Five of
the group of 10 new plaintiffs are law enforcement officers; one of
those officers was shot while in the line of duty when his P320
“drop-fired.”
Plaintiffs’ Attorney Robert W. Zimmerman said after the latest
mass filing ( Case 1:22-cv-00536-JL-AJ, US District Court, New
Hampshire, incorporating core allegations in the previously filed
mass action, Armendariz v. Sig Sauer, Inc., No.: 22-cv-536-JL) ,
“As we successfully argued on behalf of our client recently to the
Federal jury, we allege the Sig Sauer P320 was intentionally
designed and marketed in a way that is different from every other
gun manufacturer. Sig Sauer is the only company to sell pre-cocked,
striker fired pistols without any external safeties. The gun, which
is supposed to protect its users, poses a lethal danger to the
users and those around them. We continue to hear of more and more
incidents around the country and continue to be asked by
law-abiding citizens who are victims of this defective design to
help them seek justice and their days in court.”
Litigator Larry Bendesky at the Firm added, “Every injured Sig
Sauer P320 owner is entitled to justice, including having the facts
about what makes the gun unsafe, presented to a jury. In these new
filings, each and every plaintiff sustained life-altering injuries
and can no longer trust their P320s or Sig Sauer.” Attorney
Ryan Hurd, who along with Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. Bendesky, and Attorney
Samuel A. Haaz, is representing the plaintiffs, noted, “Week after
week, we continue to uncover more facts and information that shows
that this gun needs to be recalled. The mountain of evidence will
continue to be presented in our upcoming trials.”
The most recent group of plaintiffs includes
five law enforcement officers and five civilians:
- Officer
Jorge Luis Muñoz-Palacios, Puerto Rico Police Bureau
(PRPB) was injured by his service-issued Sig Sauer pistol
on February 2, 2022, after it discharged while still in its
holster. He underwent surgery for his injuries that included the
gunshot wound to his left leg and second-degree burns.
- Officer
Loudres Ortiz, PRPB, was shot by her service weapon on
July 15, 2023, and suffered wounds to both legs; she underwent
surgery followed by intensive in-patient rehabilitation.
- Agent
Bernardino Nido, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE), of Arizona, was serving in the line of
duty when on August 24, 2022, his pistol fell to the ground and
“drop-fired” a round into and through his right thigh, despite Sig
Sauer’s claims that the P320 was drop-safe.
- Officer
Vincent Cicala, Phillipsburg Township New Jersey Police
Department, suffered severe hearing damage, including
tinnitus, after his P320 service pistol fired on March 30, 2022
while still in its holster.
- Officer
Raymond Tillotson, Howell Township New Jersey Police
Department, fractured a bone in his right foot after his
holstered P320 fired on February 28, 2022.
The wounded civilian P320 owners-plaintiffs are:
- Kristopher Kyle Boshers, of
Tennessee, was wounded in his left thigh and leg
on May 3, 2023, and required intricate limb-saving surgery in which
veins from his right leg were transplanted into his left leg.
- Miranda Rosas, an Arizona resident, was shot
by her P320 on June 19, 2022, suffering injuries to her right
buttock and right leg; the lodged bullet is the source of chronic
pain and impaired movement.
- John Mazur-Baker, a Michigan resident, was
wounded on August 10, 2022; the round injured his right leg, right
kneecap and left ankle.
- Charles Franklin Statler, of Maryland, was
shot in the right buttock on November 6, 2022 when his P320
discharged while still in its holster.
- Colton Harp, of North Dakota, on June 24,
2022, was shot by his holstered P320 in the right buttock and right
leg, resulting in a nearly half-foot-long wound.
The Firm has filed, to date, more than 65 similar cases
against Sig Sauer, with many more awaiting filing. In each
case they assert that Sig Sauer manufactures the only
pre-cocked pistols on the market that are not
equipped with any form of external safety for the
protection of the owner and bystanders. The P320 has been the
subject of controversy, litigation, and media scrutiny for years.
The firm and outside groups continue to call for Sig Sauer to
recall the P320 and redesign it for the safety of its law
enforcement and private citizen users. Additional
information can be found at www.smbb.com/SigSauer.
Contacts:Robert W. Zimmerman/ rzimmerman@smbb.com /
215-575-3898 Steph Rosenfeld / steph@idadvisors.com /
215-514-4101
A photo accompanying this announcement is available
at:https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fbedc6e0-202d-4d71-979b-3e8794be7843