Philadelphia Jury Awards Man $11 Million in P320 Lawsuit

On Wednesday, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, jury awarded $11 million to George Abrams, a Philadelphia painting contractor who said his SIG SAUER P320 “went off by itself” leaving him with permanent leg injuries. The verdict came after a three-week trial during which SIG’s attorneys argued Abrams was at fault and the P320 was safe.

This is the second jury finding against SIG and the P320 . A federal jury in Georgia awarded $2.35 million in that claim. SIG has said it would appeal the Georgia verdict, but has not commented on this case.  Both cases were brought by the Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky law firm. 

In response, SIG issued the following statement . . .

We strongly disagree with the verdict in this unintended discharge lawsuit, have already moved for a mistrial, and will be appealing the decision on multiple grounds. 

The jury agreed that Plaintiff’s own negligence contributed to his accident. Plaintiff agreed the trigger on his P320 pistol was pulled fully rearward with at least 7 pounds of force. The P320 pistol is designed to discharge when the trigger is pulled and that is what happened in this case.

Plaintiff ignored numerous safety rules and warnings in handling his gun and had never trained with or fired his gun before the discharge occurred despite having purchased it more than a year and a half before his accident.

SIG SAUER believes that the jury’s ruling was unsupported by, and contrary to the evidence presented, and will be filing a motion for a judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict and, if denied, will be appealing the decision on multiple grounds. 

The design of the SIG SAUER P320 model pistol is innovative and safe, with numerous related patents, including several relating to safety mechanisms. It is among the most tested, proven, and successful handguns in recent history, with versions being selected as the official sidearm of the U.S., Canadian, Australian, and Danish militaries, among many other military and law enforcement organizations worldwide. SIG SAUER is extremely proud of our long history of producing high-quality firearms and our unwavering dedication to safety.