LAS VEGAS, Nevada – In a landmark decision, a Nevada jury has awarded $5.2 billion to plaintiffs in a lawsuit against AffinityLifestyles.com Inc., the former producers of Real Water, a Las Vegas-based bottled water company. The company was charged with negligence and product liability after their product was found to cause liver damage in consumers.
The trial, which lasted for 12 days, concluded on Wednesday with the Clark County District Court jury splitting the award into $230 million in compensatory damages and a staggering $5 billion in punitive damages. The plaintiffs, including lead plaintiff Hunter Brown, accused the company of distributing water that was harmful to health.
Legal representatives for the plaintiffs indicated the expectation of resistance from Real Water’s insurers regarding the payment of damages due to the company having filed for bankruptcy protection earlier.
AffinityLifestyles.com, once headed by Brent Jones, a former Republican Nevada state Assembly member from 2016 to 2018, has been embroiled in multiple legal battles over Real Water. Jones, nor the attorneys representing the company, were available for comments following the verdict.
Real Water had marketed itself as a premium “alkalized” drinking water with detoxifying benefits and was supplied in distinct boxy blue bottles. The water was available across multiple states in the Southwest, including Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of the Los Angeles area. It was removed from stores in March 2021 following the emergence of health concerns.
Further complicating matters for the company, Real Water has faced other substantial verdicts over the past year, including nearly $3.1 billion in June, $130 million in February, and $228 million in October of the previous year. Notably, the juries in these cases were informed that testing revealed the presence of hydrazine – a chemical typically used in rocket fuel – in the water, which is believed to have entered the product during its treatment process prior to bottling.
The defense has consistently positioned the company as unaware of the contamination, arguing that the presence of hydrazine was unknown and thus not tested for, highlighting the negligence rather than intentional misconduct.
Further legal challenges loom as attorney Will Kemp, who represents a number of affected customers, confirms ongoing civil lawsuits seeking reparation for damages caused by the contaminated water.
Before being recalled, Real Water had been promoted as a health-enhancing beverage and distributed not just in stores but also delivered directly to consumers in large bottles across serviced regions.
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