Jury finds Sig Sauer liable for pistol shooting; awards $2.3M in damages

[The Heretic]

Summary: SIG found liable for 320 causing injury while gun owner withdrawing 320 from holster - will appeal.

Jury finds Sig Sauer liable for pistol shooting; awards $2.3M in damages

A federal jury decided in favor of a Georgia man after his gun fired while still holstered, causing a serious leg injury.

www.nhpr.org

I don't see how the gun could be the cause - it wasn't dropped. My knee jerk response would be either the holster or the person were at fault - maybe both.

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[pdx210]

I own 2- 320's, and I love shooting them but I will never CC or holster carry one. There is clearly an issue with over 80 injuries now from drops and holstered discharges and enough video evidence from security cameras of gun discharges from holstered guns.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdRHKDTPht4&t=154s

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsljmVh-GFQ



The big one is this discharge. the defense of sig is the gun is not properly holstered, and that may be, but there was no finger on the trigger or outside access to the trigger

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAI_HUZDI0

 

[red442joe]

Taurus has a similar issue with the 24/7.
There is video of it just firing while holstered.

Joe

 

[The Heretic]

I own 2- 320's, and I love shooting them but I will never CC or holster carry one. There is clearly an issue with over 80 injuries now from drops and holstered discharges and enough video evidence from security cameras of gun discharges from holstered guns.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdRHKDTPht4&t=154s

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsljmVh-GFQ



The big one is this discharge. the defense of sig is the gun is not properly holstered, and that may be, but there was no finger on the trigger or outside access to the trigger

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAI_HUZDI0

My SIGs are all DA/SA with decockers. So I am fine with carrying them with a round in the chamber and the hammer down - even with a trigger job, the DA pull should be plenty safe, and the hammer down there is a firing pin block. It is as safe as a modern DA/SA revolver with a full cylinder.

I do have some striker fired pistols, Glocks have the trigger safeties (Kahrs do not seem to). That said, even with the extra trigger safety, it is possible to discharge a Glock/et. al. while holstering, if you get a shirt/etc. caught in the trigger guard while re-holstering.

So I am careful while holstering a loaded striker fired handgun - LEOs OTOH, may be distracted while re-holstering their sidearm; they may have their attention and their off-hand on a suspect/etc.

 

[bradsteen]

Well, the jury certainly dropped that verdict quickly.

Surprised the payout is only $2.3 million, was expecting it to be much higher.

 

[solv3nt]

Well, the jury certainly dropped that verdict quickly.

Surprised the payout is only $2.3 million, was expecting it to be much higher.

"Dropped" you say.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Summary: SIG found liable for 320 causing injury while gun owner withdrawing 320 from holster - will appeal.

Jury finds Sig Sauer liable for pistol shooting; awards $2.3M in damages

A federal jury decided in favor of a Georgia man after his gun fired while still holstered, causing a serious leg injury.

www.nhpr.org

I don't see how the gun could be the cause - it wasn't dropped. My knee jerk response would be either the holster or the person were at fault - maybe both.

There are other reports of gun going off in holster such as the Richland wa one where there are 2 after the fact videos. In the Richland case sig said it was a faulty spring that caused it (according to the owner). The Richland one the round hit his knife and deflected as I recall. So it doesn't have to be dropped necessarily at least based on the few reports of that.

Not saying it's as bad as the Taurus 24/7 and others which had a 1 million firearms recall (as I recall ha ha).

View: https://youtu.be/2fn6GFSwTEw?si=c9hoXmWynsdkS6Pu

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Huge new supply of LE p320s trade ins in 3...2...1...

 

[Old Dog]

First win by a plaintiff after numerous lawsuits.

Simply shows that if you file the same case over and over in multiple jurisdictions, eventually you will get your truly stupid jury.

 

[P7M13]

First win by a plaintiff after numerous lawsuits.

Simply shows that if you file the same case over and over in multiple jurisdictions, eventually you will get your truly stupid jury.

Or a plaintiff attorney who is good enough.
Is Sig the one being stupid, and the P320 is truly defective? If what @The Heretic says is true, over 80 injuries, then they are being truly stupid as they dance into the realm of class action status.

A retired colleague and his wife were at the range together. She dropped her range bag while trying to get into her car. Her P320 went off, sending a bullet through the door and into the driver's seat. It was all on parking lot surveillance video at the range. They notified Sig, filed a claim with their insurance company, etc.
Sig sent them a new P320, a PPK and completely paid for the repairs to his wife's Prius. He said they sold the P320 as soon as they received it.

 

[TTSX]

@sobo

 

[JDubDub]

Anyone else remember when carrying a Glock was a death sentence? Just getting one NEAR a holster was enough to guarantee "Glock leg".

No idea if the design of the 320 is inherently dangerous, but I don't have any problem holstering mine. Mine has seen plenty of use, been dropped once or twice and knocked against furniture or range props while holstered more than I care to remember. After 20 years in the legal product safety world, I don't trust any plaintiff or jury and I sure as hell don't trust internet videos.

 

[TTSX]

I think the bigger concern is the precedent this helps set

 

[Ducati_Meister]

Wonder what the University of Washington PD will do with their standard issue Sig P320s in light of this amongst other agencies.

 

[P7M13]

I think the bigger concern is the precedent this helps set

There is plenty of precedence for product liability on defective products.


POLL :
With all the stories we have heard over the years, would you worry that the P320 defective?

Please Vote NO with a frown face
Please vote YES with a thumbs up (standard 'like'). ​

 

[WillametteWill]

From the article...

A jury found Sig Sauer was negligent for Lang's injuries due to the design of the weapon, including that it lacked a trigger safety.​

This just shows how there was a complete lack of understanding on the part of the jury, and possibly attorneys. It shows how complex human factors are over-simplified in the minds of the jury.

If a finger or other object is on the trigger, trigger safeties are useless. That is not their purpose. Complex issues do not play well with juries and the better argument (attorney) often wins, even if the facts show otherwise. I have seen this in court cases I've been involved with. Juries often go for the simple argument that easily make sense to them, not with the more complex where the facts are buried.

 

[DangerDog]

Get a Glock.

 

[TTSX]

$20 says SIG quietly rolls out a mid year update, incompatible with current parts and tells nobody.

 

[DirectDrive]

I own 2- 320's, and I love shooting them but I will never CC or holster carry one. There is clearly an issue with over 80 injuries now from drops and holstered discharges and enough video evidence from security cameras of gun discharges from holstered guns.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdRHKDTPht4&t=154s

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsljmVh-GFQ



The big one is this discharge. the defense of sig is the gun is not properly holstered, and that may be, but there was no finger on the trigger or outside access to the trigger

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAI_HUZDI0

Those are old videos and have all been de-bunked.
De-bunked or not they can still win new victims.

 

[DirectDrive]

First win by a plaintiff after numerous lawsuits.

Simply shows that if you file the same case over and over in multiple jurisdictions, eventually you will get your truly stupid jury.

It's a pretty sloppy case.
I think on appeal SIG will be able to pick it apart like a BBQ chicken.

Robert Zimmerman, Lang's attorney is with Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky (personal injury law firm).
They have even put out the call for "anyone injured by a P320" to please call us.
That is/was on their website.
These people have been hounding SIG for years, it's like they're on a jihad.

The NHPR writer, Todd Bookman (see link below) has been covering (unsavory) SIG news for years.
Do a search on that individual.

Jury finds Sig Sauer liable for pistol shooting; awards $2.3M in damages

A federal jury decided in favor of a Georgia man after his gun fired while still holstered, causing a serious leg injury.

www.nhpr.org

The same old players pop up yet again.
When we see a Bloomberg funded report, then the whole band is back together.