LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury in Nevada has delivered a $5.2 billion award in the most recent large-sum lawsuit in opposition to a former Las Vegas-based bottled water corporate that was once discovered accountable for inflicting liver injury in shoppers earlier than it was once recalled from retailer cabinets in 2021. A 12-day trial ended with the decision Wednesday within the negligence and product legal responsibility case in opposition to AffinityLifestyles.com Inc. and its Actual Water emblem, consistent with Clark County District Court docket information. The jury awarded about $230 million in compensatory damages and $5 billion in punitive damages to Hunter Brown and a number of other different plaintiffs. Lawyer Will Kemp, representing plaintiffs, informed the Las Vegas Evaluation-Magazine he expects Actual Water’s insurance coverage corporate to combat paying damages since the corporate has filed for chapter. Affinitylifestyles.com was once headed by way of Brent Jones, who served as a Republican Nevada state Meeting member from 2016 to 2018. Jones and legal professionals for the corporate didn’t right away reply Thursday to emails in search of remark. Juries have prior to now delivered separate verdicts in opposition to the corporate, awarding plaintiffs virtually $3.1 billion in June,$130 million in February and $228 million in October 2023. Juries were informed that assessments discovered Actual Water contained hydrazine, a chemical utilized in rocket gas that can were offered throughout remedy earlier than bottling. Protection legal professionals have solid the corporate as accidentally negligent, now not reckless, as it didn’t know hydrazine was once within the water and didn’t know to check for it. Kemp represents further plaintiffs in numerous extra civil court cases nonetheless pending in opposition to the corporate. Actual Water was once offered in unique boxy blue bottles as top rate handled “alkalized” ingesting water with wholesome detoxifying homes. It was once allotted to retail outlets all over the Southwest together with Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and the Los Angeles house and in addition was once dropped at properties in broad bottles earlier than being pulled off cabinets in March 2021.
