CONCORD, N.H., July 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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
