Sig Sauer ordered to pay $11 million to Philadelphia man wounded by pistol that went off by itself
A Philadelphia jury has awarded $11 million to a man whose holstered Sig Sauer pistol went off by itself while he was going down the stairs
A Philadelphia jury awarded $11 million on Wednesday to a man whose holstered Sig Sauer pistol went off by itself while he was going down the stairs, causing a serious leg injury — the second major verdict this year against the embattled gun manufacturer over its P320 model.
After a three-week trial, the jury concluded that New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer was negligent for selling a defective gun and holster. The plaintiff's lawyers said the P320 pistol is prone to going off without the trigger being pulled, a defect that has led to scores of injuries around the U.S.
More than 100 people have come forward to make similar allegations about the P320. Sig Sauer insists the gun is safe.
“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,” Robert W. Zimmerman, the plaintiff's lawyer, said after the verdict.
He added that the verdict “sends a strong message to Sig Sauer that they need to do something with this gun.”
Zimmerman represented George Abrahams, a U.S. Army veteran and painting contractor in Philadelphia, who has said he holstered his P320, put it in the pocket of his athletic pants and zipped it up before going downstairs. The gun went off and the bullet tore through his right thigh, exiting above the knee, causing permanent injuries, according to court documents.
At trial, Sig Sauer sought to shift blame to Abrahams. The company said in a statement posted on its website that jurors had “agreed that plaintiff’s own negligence contributed to his
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