A jury on Friday has reached a verdict in a civil trial against Real Water, the bottled water company that made a product linked to a Southern Nevada liver failure outbreak.
This follows previous multibillion-dollar verdicts against the company, $5 billion in October and $3 billion in June.
District Judge Timothy Williams said a verdict would be read in court Friday.
The Las Vegas company behind Real Water, Affinitylifestyles.com, billed its product as “the healthiest drinking water available” when it contained a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel.
Real Water was determined to be at fault for the injuries of the 13 plaintiffs in the current trial, attorneys told jurors. That meant the central question for the jury was how much money the plaintiffs would receive, not whether the water caused the plaintiffs’ injuries.
After hearing nearly three weeks of testimony and argument, jurors began deliberating Thursday afternoon. They resumed deliberations Friday morning.
According to court records, Real Water’s product caused dozens of cases of liver failure and hospitalizations. People suffered miscarriages and aborted liver transplants, attorneys have said. One person needed emergency brain surgery. Pets died.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that at least 21 hospitalizations and one death were likely linked to the water.
The company filed for bankruptcy and is no longer operating.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
