Gunmaker Sig Sauer Must Pay $11 Million Over Pistol That Fired Accidentally

Gunmaker Sig Sauer Inc. was ordered by a Pennsylvania jury to pay $11 million to a customer who alleged defects in one of the company’s pistols led it to go off without him pulling the trigger.

Jurors in state court in Philadelphia concluded on Wednesday that Sig Sauer was liable for selling a defective gun and holster in a case brought by George Abrahams, a U.S. Army veteran and painting contractor. The panel ordered the company to pay $1 million for Abraham’s injuries and $10 million in punitive damages over the P320 pistol, his lawyers said.

Earlier this year, a federal jury in Georgia awarded $2.35 million to another P320 pistol owner who also alleged the weapon was defective. Sig Sauer weapons are the official side arms of several armies around the world, including the US.

“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,” Robert Zimmerman, Abrahams’ lawyer, said in a statement.

Sig Sauer said it would appeal, arguing that jurors found Abraham’s own negligence contributed to the gun’s discharge. Sig Sauer is headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire, but its predecessor company was founded in Switzerland in 1853.

“Sig Sauer believes the jury’s ruling was unsupported by, and contrary to, the evidence presented,” officials said in their statement. “Plaintiff ignored numerous safety rules and warnings in handling his gun and had never trained with or fired his gun before the discharge.”

The gun went off after Abrahams put the pistol in the pocket of his athletic pants and went downstairs in his home. The accidental discharge sent a bullet into his thigh.

Abraham argued the P320 pistol was made with a dangerously easy-to-pull trigger and no safety mechanism to bar users from unintentionally pulling it.

Zimmerman, who also brought the Georgia case, said his law firm has another 100 lawsuits against Sig Sauer over the P320 pistol. The lawyer said the next two trials are scheduled in state court in Boston early next year.

The case is Abraham v. Sig Sauer, No. 2206026605, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas (Philadelphia)