A Las Vegas company selling supposedly healthier alkaline water was hit with a second multibillion-dollar verdict on Oct.23, with a jury finding its bottled water was contaminated with a chemical that caused several cases of liver damage and at least one death.
A 12-day trial of the company -- Affinitylifestyles.com Inc. and its product Real Water -- ended with a jury delivering $5 billion in punitive damages, $230 million in compensatory damages, plus damages for medical bills, future expenses and wages lost, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. There were 15 plaintiffs.
In June, a separate trial ended with a jury delivering a $3 billion verdict against the company, which is now bankrupt, according to the newspaper. Another trial is set to go forward in February.
The poisonings occurred in 2021. The jury was told that tests found Real Water – sold in 500 ml/16.9-oz. and 5-gal. bottles with a pH of 8.0 --contained hydrazine, a chemical used in rocket fuel that may have been introduced during treatment before bottling, according to ConsumerAffairs.com.
