SIG SAUER LAWSUIT AWARDS $11 MILLION TO WOUNDED ARMY VET AFTER PISTOL FIRES BY ITSELF
Every Veteran knows the importance of gun safety but what happens when the firearm goes off even when you’re following the right precautions? For George Abrahams, it meant a serious, unfortunate injury. Now, the manufacturer is paying for its mistake. A Sig Sauer lawsuit focusing on its P320 model would conclude, costing the German/American firearm giant $11 million as a result.
Sig Sauer Lawsuit Costs Firearm Giant $11M
On November 20, 2024, the Sig Sauer lawsuit involving a pistol that went off while holstered would come to a close. A jury in Philadelphia awarded $11 million to U.S. Army Veteran George Abrahams.
For three weeks, the Sig Sauer lawsuit involving the P320 model raged on, after Abrahams was walking down his stairs when the pistol went off unprompted severely injuring his leg.
This is just the latest legal case the firearm company has faced involving the P320 model, as it faced another ruling earlier in 2024.
The lawsuit involving Abrahams has been going on since 2022 and brought to light dozens of accounts in which the P320 fired an unintended discharge.
Negligence
Because the company sold the gun and holster, and they both were deemed defective, the jury in the Sig Sauer lawsuit ruled that the manufacturer was negligent for selling the items.
While Sig Sauer is backing its P320 firearm, over 100 people have raised concerns, bringing up similar allegations about the pistol.
According to Robert W. Zimmerman, who represented Abrahams, “We've been asking Sig for over three years now to recall this gun, to fix it, and frankly to use the same type of safeties that other manufacturers are using that Sig Sauer is not.”
Experts believe that there are around 500,000 P320 pistols in the United States and despite the military version of the firearm having an external safety, civilians and police models do not come with such features.
An incident in 2019 caused the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to replace P320s with Glocks for use among Philadelphia transit officers after a holstered Sig Sauer unintentionally fired.
What Happened With Abrahams
Abrahams holstered his P320 and put the weapon in the pocket of his pants before zipping it up and heading down the stairs.
It was at this time that the pistol fired and the bullet went through his right thigh, exited above his knee, and sadly, left permanent damage.
Although Sig Sauer tried blaming Abrahams, the jury wasn’t buying it. While the company continued to stand by the pistol, and Abrahams didn’t deny that the trigger moved, the jury decided that Sig Sauer was responsible for the event.
2024: The Year of the Sig Sauer Lawsuit
While Zimmerman represented Abrahams in his lawsuit against Sig Sauer, he’s had experience. Zimmerman’s law firm, Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, represented a man in Georgia, winning him $2.35 million earlier in 2024 for the same thing.
Furthermore, the firm is taking on several other claims involving Sig Sauer.
Although Abrahams has received a verdict to receive $11 million, it’s unlikely that this is the end of his saga, unfortunately.
While Sig Sauer did settle out of court at least once involving the P320, that was a class action lawsuit involving firearms that were created prior to 2017. This is a bit different.
The company has already issued a statement saying that it “strongly disagree(s) with the verdict” and that it “will be appealing the decision on multiple grounds." Sig Sauer is also planning to appeal the verdict involving its Georgia case.
Where any Sig Sauer lawsuit goes from here is anyone’s guess but a line of appeals seems to await. Either way, it’s worth noting that extra precautions should be considered among the gun owner community and the P320.
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Image source: Philly.com