Amazon Can Be Sued Over Sodium Nitrite Suicide, Court Rules
Synopsis
The Washington Supreme Court has unanimously decided that Amazon is required to face negligence lawsuits filed by four families whose loved ones died from ingesting sodium nitrite purchased on the platform. The appeals court reversed an earlier ruling in which the cases had been dismissed, arguing that the families have a right to hold Amazon accountable. The families argue that Amazon had known for years of the chemical’s link to suicide and had sold it without limiting its availability or providing any warnings.
Amazon to face a lawsuit by four families who say the online retail giant is legally responsible for the deaths of people who ingested a chemical to kill themselves after it was purchased on its website, Washington state’s highest court has ruled.
Key Highlights
- Washington Supreme Court ordered Amazon to have to defend itself against negligence suits brought by four families.
- Salt poisonings killed family members who drank a toxic mix bought on Amazon in the U.K.
- Families said Amazon had known for years that there was a link between sodium nitrite and suicides, but had continued to sell it freely.
Families Take Amazon to Court
Four families in Washington state, have been fighting against Amazon to prove them responsible for the deaths of their loved ones. As per accusations, individual had purchased sodium nitrite, a chemical that can be fatal in even small doses if ingested, over Amazon’s online retail platform and subsequently died by suicide. The families contend it wasn’t that Amazon was a mere passive seller in these instances but rather actively participated in making possible the loss of those lives.
Washington’s Supreme Court saw it the same way, at least enough to allow the cases to proceed. The nine justices voted unanimously that those families have the right to sue Amazon under Virginia’s product liability law. It was a crucial victory for the families, whose cases had previously been dismissed by a lower court.
The Reason the Lower Court Had Dismissed the Cases
The lower court had dismissed the claims by the families on a particular legal issue. It argued that since suicide is an individual’s personal decision, the link between Amazon selling the product and ensuing death was broken. In legal jargon, this is referred to as a superseding cause, meaning something that happens in between, absolving you of all blame.
The Washington Supreme Court found that rationale insufficient. In overturning the lower court, it said that Amazon’s role in what went on cannot be easily brushed aside because a person ultimately made a tragic choice. The families can now argue in open court that Amazon’s conduct, or inaction, played a meaningful role in these deaths.
What Amazon Is Accused of Doing
The core accusation of the families is that Amazon did more than sell a dangerous product. They say the Amazon platform used active recommendation to steer someone toward using sodium nitrite with another item in their inventory, presenting them in a manner in which they could be used by somebody as an end-of-life mixture. In other words, they argue the retailer’s own systems helped to connect the dots for people who were already at a vulnerable stage.
The families also noted that Amazon has known for years that sodium nitrite has been used in suicides and yet it still was selling this ingredient with no restrictions or warnings, according to the complaint. Amazon and its lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday. The case will now go back to lower courts, where full legal arguments will be heard.
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