Jury Awards $3 Billion Damages in ‘Real Water’ Lawsuit

(StraightNews.org) – A Las Vegas jury has awarded $3 billion in damages to plaintiffs who claimed they suffered physical and mental harm from drinking water. The eight claimants sued the Real Water company after they drank water containing the chemical hydrazine and subsequently suffered liver damage. Five of those affected are children, including one who was flown to Utah for liver transplant surgery in 2020.

The children’s ages range from seven months to five years and include Emely and Christopher Wren’s 2-year-old, who required hospitalization and whose case prompted the lawsuit. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Will Kemp, said all five children had liver damage, including a 22-month-old diagnosed with cirrhosis – an illness usually caused by long-term alcohol abuse.

Real Water folded in 2021 following a string of lawsuits and intervention from federal agencies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), together with the Southern Nevada Health District, launched an investigation that year after receiving numerous reports of acute non-viral hepatitis in the Silver State, all of which were associated with Real Water. Months later, the company agreed to cease trading, and consumers were warned not to drink, cook with, or sell Real Water products.

The investigation further concluded that Real Water and its parent company, AffinityLifestyles.com Inc., violated the “Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by distributing adulterated and misbranded bottled water.” The company issued a public apology at the time, with President Brent Jones offering his “deepest sympathies” and assuring consumers that lessons had been learned.

Throughout the trial, jurors heard testimony about the physical pain endured by the plaintiffs. Christopher Wren said he felt like he was dying and that he had been poisoned. All claimants affected said they had suffered severe mental trauma, and physical symptoms included nausea, vomiting, and fever.

Hydrazine is a flammable solution usually used as an agent in preparing polymer foams, as a precursor to pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, and as a storable propellant. It is sometimes used in rocket fuels.