New Hampshire's new law protecting gunmakers faces first test in court over Sig Sauer lawsuit
The 2-month-old law was created by the Republican-led Legislature in response to mounting lawsuits faced by the Newington-based manufacturer over its popular P320 pistol. The lawsuits say that the gun can go off without the trigger being pulled, an allegation Sig Sauer denies.
Sig Sauer, which employs over 2,000 people in New Hampshire, said the gun is safe and the problem is user error.
Several large, multi-plaintiff cases filed since 2022 in New Hampshire's federal court representing nearly 80 people accuse Sig Sauer of defective product design, marketing, and negligence, in addition to lawsuits filed in other states. Many of the plaintiffs are current and former law enforcement officers who say they were wounded by the gun.
They say the P320 design requires an external mechanical safety, a feature that is optional. The most recent New Hampshire case, representing 22 plaintiffs in 16 states, was filed in March. It's the focus of Monday's hearing.
The new law on product liability claims against Sig Sauer and other gun manufacturers covers the 'absence or presence' of the external safety and several other optional features. Claims can still be filed over manufacturing defects.
Attorneys for Sig Sauer argue it should apply to the March case, even though the law didn't exist at the time.
'New Hampshire has a clearly articulated position against such claims being cognizable in this state,' they argue in court documents for breaking up the cases and transferring them to court districts where the plaintiffs live.
Lawyers from a Philadelphia-based firm representing the plaintiffs, disagree, saying the law 'has zero implication' on the case and only applies to future lawsuits.
New Hampshire was the chosen location because federal rules allow lawsuits against a company in its home state, the plaintiff's attorneys say. Those lawsuits have been assigned to one federal judge in Concord. Sig Sauer is trying to decentralize the case, they say.
Sig Sauer has prevailed in some cases. It has appealed two recent multimillion-dollar verdicts against it, in Pennsylvania and Georgia. A judge recently allowed the Pennsylvania verdict to stand, but vacated $10 million in punitive damages awarded to the plaintiff.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
DOJ staffer is fired after feds discover she's married to radical behind anti-ICE app
A Department of Justice employee has claimed she was fired when the feds discovered her husband developed an anti-ICE phone app. Carolyn Feinstein, who is married to ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron, said she was unfairly removed from her post in 'retribution' against her partner's work. The ICEBlock app sets out warning signals to users when ICE agents are within a five-mile radius of their location, allowing targets to flee. After Aaron was exposed online for creating the app, Feinstein said she was terminated from her post as a forensic accountant after almost a decade working for the DoJ. 'This was retribution. I was fired because of the actions, or activism, of my husband,' Texas -based Feinstein told the Daily Beast on Monday. 'It is insulting to me because I dedicated myself and my career to serving the people of the United States, and now the DOJ is claiming I was attempting to harm some of them. And that's not true.' Feinstein, who specializes in bankruptcy fraud, said she felt 'targeted' because of her husband's app, which has been downloaded almost one million times. Aaron had not been hiding his role in creating the app - he spoke with CNN in June explaining how the app works, and faced fierce criticism from MAGA fans afterward. The ICEBlock app (pictured above) sets out warning signals to users when ICE agents are within a five-mile radius of their location, allowing targets to flee federal agents 'When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back,' Aaron told CNN. He went on to compare the Trump administration's immigration crackdown to purges carried out by the Nazi regime in 1930's Germany. 'We're literally watching history repeat itself,' he said. The interview prompted a flood of MAGA rage online, while Trump administration officials like border tsar Tom Homan and ICE acting director Tom Lyon called on the DoJ to investigate the matter. 'We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred,' Aaron told The Daily Beast at the time. 'As long as ICE agents have quotas, and this administration ignores people's Constitutional rights, we will continue fighting back. No human is illegal.' Feinstein said she responded by telling her bosses about her relationship with Aaron. 'Since we live in the same house, I thought it was pertinent to contact my employer, the DOJ, to notify them of death threats that were coming in and just in case I needed to be out of the office, so they would be prepared,' she told the Daily Beast. Feinstein was then contacted by officials who asked her about her association with the ICEBlock app. 'I informed them in so many words that I really didn't have any relationship or involvement in the app, I was married to the creator,' she said. But Homan said he had contacted the DoJ airing concerns about the connection. He told NewsMax that 'all (Aaron is) doing is giving a heads up to criminals'. 'The DOJ's looking at it, and they need to throw some people in jail,' he said. Feinstein says she received her termination note 'within 24 hours' of Homan's Newsmax interview airing. A DoJ spokesperson told the Daily Beast the department had spent 'several weeks' investigating Feinstein's activities and discovered that she has interests in the company that holds the IP for the ICEBlock app. Feinstein argued that her minority shareholder status in All U Chart Inc is just a safety net so that 'if Joshua were incapacitated, or further, I have the ability to shut it down'. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers,' a DoJ spokesperson told the Daily Beast. They added that the department 'will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Man accused of murdering wife and hiding body for weeks said he wanted to 'go big' with first crime
A Texas man who allegedly slaughtered his wife and kept her decaying corpse in their home for weeks said he wanted to 'go big' with his first crime, police claim. Charles Byrd, 49, was arrested on Sunday after a concerned relative told police he 'may have done something' to his wife, Angela Byrd, 44, that ultimately killed her, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. Deputies then swarmed his home and were immediately greeted by the foul odor of rotting flesh. They soon came across what they believe to be Angela's dead body wrapped in plastic. While her family has been notified, Salazar said investigators are still waiting for the medical examiners to confirm the remains are Angela's. After a day-long manhunt, the alleged killer was apprehended about a mile from his house. 'One of the things that left a huge impression on me was when he detailed to the investigator that he had not been arrested before,' Salazar began. 'Then blurted out the comment to our investigator, "go big or go home" and that was pretty shocking to me.' Footage shared by the sheriff's office showed Charles being escorted toward a cop car by police as his hands and ankles were cuffed. Meanwhile, a KSAT reporter questioned Charles about the horrifying situation. In response to her questioning, he mumbled: 'I'm so sorry. I loved my wife.' He also claimed he was having a 'mental break' and apologized to his children. Charles was officially charged with tampering with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse. At least one additional murder charge is pending, but investigators must wait for the medical examiner to rule Angela's death a homicide. Salazar also said 'several other arrests' were made in relation to Angela's case, but he did not name any of the other suspects or how they were allegedly involved. Investigators' had a chilling interaction with Charles, during which he explained 'a physical attack' on his wife that occurred around June 16. No further information about the nature of this altercation was revealed. 'He then over the last 30 days, 32 days if my math is correct, spent that entire time living in this residence with the corpse of Mrs. Byrd, at times taking certain steps to mask the odor,' he claimed. Charles also had allegedly lied to several family members about the source of the gut-wrenching scent. The sheriff also described Charles' demeanor as 'matter of fact' as he outlined the violent encounter between him and his wife. Charles remains at the Bexar County Jail. As of Sunday, when Salazar held a press conference, the suspect does not have a lawyer. He is also awaiting a mental health evaluation.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Fed reform may move markets more than Powell ouster
LONDON, July 22 (Reuters) - Changing the way the Federal Reserve operates or assesses the economy may have a more durable impact on policy and markets than firing the Fed boss. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added another twist to President Donald Trump's ongoing criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Monday by claiming he wanted to review the entire Fed institution and its performance. In an interview with CNBC, Bessent claimed the Fed's "fear-mongering over tariffs" without significant signs of inflation was justification for considering a root-and-branch review of the central bank's functioning. "What we need to do is examine the entire Federal Reserve institution and whether they have been successful," he said. "All these PhDs over there, I don't know what they do." It's not yet clear whether Bessent was merely heaping more pressure on the Fed to speed up interest rate cuts, as Trump has been demanding almost daily, or whether the administration is actually planning to conduct a formal review of Fed operations, analysis and execution. While recent weeks have been filled with anxious noise about Trump attempting to fire Powell, this latest development - possible changes to the way the Fed ticks - could be much more far-reaching and impactful than simply truncating the tenure of one Chair. Of course, the Fed Chair is an important role, and a politically motivated ouster would be a serious challenge to Fed independence. Yet the Fed boss ultimately remains just one vote on the rate-setting board, and the Fed's policymaking structure is partly designed to insulate the central bank from any undue political influence. The Federal Open Market Committee that sets policy is made up of seven Fed board members and five regional Fed bosses, but the FOMC chair and vice chair are voted in by the committee at the start of each year. The Fed Chair typically takes the helm by convention, but not necessity. If a majority of the FOMC members balked at a politically partisan appointee to the top job, they could theoretically vote for a different Chair of the FOMC in an act of defiance. But, regardless, the Chair is still only one vote. Changing the Fed's institutional structure would require Congressional approval, a process likely to be protracted as many Republicans, including strong Trump supporters, may be wary of tampering with the Fed. Moreover, a recent Supreme Court ruling also suggested Fed structures should be left in place due to "a special historical status". But influencing the way the Fed thinks, forecasts and operates is a different matter. To complicate matters further, the Wall Street Journal on Monday claimed Bessent counseled Trump against firing Powell, arguing that the current Fed Chair might sue, or Congress could drag its feet on approving a replacement. Both scenarios could result in a leadership hiatus that would see Joe Biden appointee Vice Fed Chair Philip Jefferson assume the role. Bessent argued the price of removing Powell now was potential market disruption and economic uncertainty for no real gain in influence compared with waiting for Powell's term to just expire in May, the WSJ said. Trump, already battling with the WSJ on another story, dismissed the report as 'fake'. Bessent said the decision was ultimately up to Trump. But the messiness of Powell's removal may be why the administration sees other pressure on the Fed to buckle on rates soon as more fruitful. After all, two Trump appointees to the board - Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman - already arguing for immediate cuts and two more board positions, including Powell's, are likely to come up by this time next year. That would leave a majority on the board being Trump appointees - even though not the FOMC. SGH Macro Advisors' Tim Duy reckons that to reshape the Fed, the White House needs even more seats to shift the board - building a block of Trump nominees sufficient to out-vote the five regional Presidents that make up the rest of the FOMC. Without that, it leaves the Trump team trying to change the DNA of Fed thinking and a major review that shifts standing assumptions, forecasting patterns and public presentations may be significant longer-term. Current favorite to be Trump's pick for the Chair, former Fed policymaker Kevin Warsh, who is a known critic of orthodox Fed analysis, doubts there's a trade-off between jobs and inflation the way it's currently presented and claims rates can move lower if balance sheet policies were tighter. If markets think it's inappropriate to ease now, of course, then inflation expectations may just build on fears of undue political influence and long-term borrowing rates should rise. But it may not be that clean. "The goal appears to be to keep policy rates low while shifting U.S. Treasury issuance to the front end of the curve," wrote SGH Macro's Duy. "While excessively loose policy would be expected to raise long term rates, there is the possibility that Fed and Treasury manage the debt with an eye toward yield curve control." That's a delicate balance that might come off - but guaranteeing the Fed comes on board will not be easy. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters -- Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), your essential new source for global financial commentary. Follow ROI on LinkedIn. Plus, sign up for my weekday newsletter Morning Bid U.S.
