Washington Supreme Court Landmark Ruling: Amazon Must Face Sodium Nitrite Lawsuits

The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that Amazon must face lawsuits by families whose relatives committed suicide using sodium nitrite purchased on its platform. The unanimous decision overturned a previous ruling, allowing negligence claims under state product liability law to proceed.

The Washington Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict on Thursday, stating that Amazon.com must face lawsuits filed by families of individuals who committed suicide using sodium nitrite purchased from the online retailer. The court's unanimous decision overturns a lower court's ruling, which claimed that the families could not pursue negligence claims under Washington state product liability law due to suicide being a superseding cause of death.

The lawsuits argue that Amazon promoted the sale of sodium nitrite alongside products that facilitate suicide. Despite knowing for years about the link between sodium nitrite and suicide, the Seattle-based company continued to sell it without restrictions, say the four families involved.

When reached for comment, Amazon and its legal team did not immediately respond.