LAS VEGAS — A jury in Nevada has awarded a staggering $5.2 billion in damages in a significant lawsuit against a former bottled water company based in Las Vegas, which was deemed liable for causing liver damage to consumers before being recalled in 2021.
The trial lasted 12 days and concluded with a verdict on Wednesday in a case concerning negligence and product liability involving AffinityLifestyles.com Inc. and its Real Water brand, as per records from the Clark County District Court. The jury granted approximately $230 million in compensatory damages alongside a remarkable $5 billion in punitive damages to plaintiff Hunter Brown and other affected individuals.
Attorney Will Kemp, who is representing the plaintiffs, mentioned that he anticipates the insurance company of Real Water will contest the payment of the damages, especially as the company has filed for bankruptcy.
Affinitylifestyles.com was overseen by Brent Jones, a former Republican member of the Nevada state Assembly who served from 2016 to 2018. Neither Jones nor the company’s legal representatives responded to requests for comment on Thursday.
In the past, juries have delivered separate judgments against the company, totaling nearly $3.1 billion in June, $130 million in February, and $228 million in October 2023. Test results presented during the trials indicated that Real Water was contaminated with hydrazine, a chemical commonly found in rocket fuel, which may have entered the product during its treatment process prior to bottling.
Legal representatives for the defense have argued that the company acted out of unintentional negligence rather than reckless disregard, as they were unaware of hydrazine’s presence in their water and did not conduct tests to identify it.
Kemp also represents additional claimants in several ongoing civil lawsuits against the company.
Marketed in distinctive blue boxy bottles as a premium “alkalized” drinking water with purported detoxifying benefits, Real Water was widely distributed throughout the Southwest, including regions in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Los Angeles area. The product was also available for home delivery in larger bottles until being removed from stores in March 2021.
