By Jonathan Phelps
The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
PHILADELPHIA — A jury in Philadelphia awarded $11 million in damages to U.S. Army veteran George Abrahams, who claims his SIG Sauer P320 pistol fired in its holster without his hands touching the gun.
Abrahams is the latest to prevail at trial against the international gun manufacturer, according to his attorneys at Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky PC.
After a three-week trial, the jury found that SIG Sauer defectively designed the P320, was negligent in selling the gun and showed reckless indifference to the rights of others in the distribution of the pistol, according to a news release.
The jury awarded $10 million in punitive damages and $1 million in compensatory damages after deliberating over three days.
SIG Sauer, whose U.S. headquarters is in Newington, “knowingly and negligently compromised safety in the name of profit,” Robert W. Zimmerman, the plaintiff’s lead counsel, said in a statement.
“The jury saw the P320 for exactly what it is, defective and dangerous,” he said. “We successfully argued that SIG Sauer knew of the risks of the P320s design, predicted these risks would injure its customers, and saw these risks play out in the real world.”
In a statement, SIG Sauer says it will be filing a motion for a judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict and, if denied, will be appealing the decision on multiple grounds.
“The jury agreed that plaintiff’s own negligence contributed to his accident. Plaintiff agreed the trigger on his P320 pistol was pulled fully rearward with at least 7 pounds of force,” the statement read. The P320 pistol is designed to discharge when the trigger is pulled and that is what happened in this case, the company contends.
SIG said Abrahams ignored numerous safety rules and warnings in handling his gun and “had never trained with or fired his gun before the discharge occurred despite having purchased it more than a year and a half before his accident.”
Abrahams filed the lawsuit in June 2022 when the gun went off inside his pants pocket as he walked down a flight of stairs. He is considered “permanently injured” after the bullet tore through his right leg, according to his attorneys.
Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky PC represents more than 100 other P320 victims.
In June, a jury in the federal trial court in Atlanta awarded Robert Lang $2.3 million, finding that a defect in the P320 caused him to be shot in the thigh while taking the gun out of its holster in 2018. The company also was found negligent in not warning customers of the risks.
The P320, which was introduced in 2014, is one of the most popular guns in the U.S. , with more than 2.5 million sold, according to the company.
SIG maintains the P320 pistol “is innovative and safe, with numerous related patents, including several relating to safety mechanisms.”
“It is among the most tested, proven, and successful handguns in recent history, with versions being selected as the official sidearm of the U.S. , Canadian, Australian, and Danish militaries, among many other military and law enforcement organizations worldwide,” the company statement reads.
Attorney Zimmerman disagrees.
“The only way for SIG Sauer to avoid injuring or killing innocent victims is to redesign this gun to include a safety like other gun manufacturers,” he said.
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