Lawsuit against Amazon over suicides linked to chemical can go to trial

15 hours ago

A lawsuit against Amazon can proceed to trial, alleging the company sold high-purity sodium nitrite that contributed to suicides, despite awareness of its misuse.
The lawsuit involves multiple families claiming relatives died after consuming sodium nitrite bought from Amazon, which allegedly failed to provide adequate warning labels.
Amazon responded by stating it requires sellers to follow laws, noted the product can be misused, and began restricting sales of high-concentration sodium nitrite in late 2023.
The Washington State Supreme Court reversed a lower court's decision, ruling that Amazon's potential duty isn't eliminated by product misuse arguments.
The case focuses on specific sodium nitrite products from brands like Loudwolf and HiMedia, with allegations that Amazon knew of misuse by minors since at least 2018.
Other retailers like eBay, Walmart, and Etsy removed sodium nitrite sales earlier due to suicide concerns, according to the plaintiffs' attorney.

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