Las Vegas, NV - A Nevada state court jury will hear opening statements next week in a lawsuit accusing defunct bottled water company Real Water of responsibility for a plaintiff’s liver illness, and the full trial will be webcast and recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
Real Water faces allegations the company failed to properly screen for toxic chemicals in their product. The bottled water, marketed as “alkalized water infused with negative ions” and “the healthiest drinking water available” was pulled from shelves by regulators in 2021 after numerous consumers fell ill. The company ceased operations a short time later.
Next week’s trial involving claims from a man in his 20’s who required a liver transplant after drinking Real Water will be closely watched, coming in the wake of a $228 million verdict returned last year by another Las Vegas jury in the first such case to go to trial. That award included $200 million in punitive damages.
Real Water conceded liability in that case, agreeing to pay damages for plaintiffs’ past and future medical costs and for pain and suffering, but their attorneys at the time argued against any award of punitive damages, claiming the toxic chemical in question - a compound called hydrazine normally used in rocket fuel - is not “not normally tested for” by water companies.
Attorney Will Kemp, who represents plaintiffs in the previous and upcoming trial, characterized the award at the time as one of the largest single-case verdicts in Nevada history.
The outcome of a second trial could play a key role in determining whether or not other plaintiffs who allege Real Water injured them press their claims all the way to a jury trial or if the parties reach a large-scale settlement. Roughly 100 other people claim Real Water caused their acute liver illness.
CVN’s coverage of next week’s trial, taking place before Judge Joanna S. Kishner, will commence with the start of opening statements and continue for the duration of the proceedings, expected to conclude in mid-February.
The upcoming case is captioned Myles Hunwardsen v. Affinitylifestyles.com, Inc., case number A-21-831543-B in Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com