By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Sig Sauer quickly said it would appeal a ruling by a Pennsylvania jury which awarded a man $11 million in his lawsuit against the company, which alleged defects in his P320 pistol resulting in a discharge that sent a bullet into his leg.
According to the Globe Newswire, George Abrahams, identified as a painting contractor and Army veteran, was wounded when his holstered pistol discharged. He was awarded $1 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.
But in a prepared statement, Sig Sauer said the company “strongly” disagrees with the verdict, after having earlier moved for a mistrial. The company will appeal “on multiple grounds.”
In its statement, Sig Sauer said, “Plaintiff 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.”
The case was brought in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas. MSN is reporting that Abrahams put the pistol into the pocket of his athletic pants. The gun discharged when he went downstairs in his home, and the bullet struck him in the thigh. Abrahams claimed the pistol’s trigger was too easy to pull.
However, Sig Sauer noted in its statement, “Plaintiff agreed the trigger on his P320 pistol was pulled fully rearward with at least 7 pounds of force. The P320 pistol is designed to discharge when the trigger is pulled and that is what happened in this case.”
The company insists the design of the P320 is “innovative and safe,” and has “numerous related patents, including several relating to safety mechanisms.”
But attorney Robert Zimmerman, who represented Abrahams, said, “We successfully argued 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.”
“SIG SAUER believes that the jury’s ruling was unsupported by, and contrary to the evidence presented, and 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 company said.
Zimmerman also represented other plaintiffs in a Georgia lawsuit against Sig Sauer, in which a jury awarded $2.35 million to another person who owned a P320, as noted by the Insurance Journal. That case was decided in June.
Attorney Zimmerman, with Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky PC, specializing in personal injury cases with offices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, reportedly said his firm has “another 100 lawsuits” pending against Sig Sauer, all related to the P320 pistol. MSN said the next two trials will unfold next year in Massachusetts state court in Boston.
Sig Sauer is headquartered in New Hampshire. Its parent company has been in Switzerland since 1853.
