Jury awards $3billion to Vegas parents whose children suffered liver damage after drinking 'healthy' bottled water laced with rocket fuel
Jurors have awarded more than $3billion dollars to eight Las Vegas residents who suffered liver failure after drinking 'healthy' bottled water that contained a toxin found in rocket fuel.
The suit alleged that Real Water, a now bankrupt alkalized water company, sold bottles that contained the lethal chemical hydrazine. The drinks, marketed as a healthy alternative to tap water, led to the hospitalization of five children and three adults as a result of life-threatening liver problems.
Emely Wren, one of the plaintiffs, said during her testimony that she had started buying the brand after seeing fellow health-conscious peers drinking it.
She had no idea that years later, she'd be cradling her two year old son as he was life flighted to a Salt Lake City children's hospital for urgent treatment.
'It was probably the scariest moment of my life to have your child scream like that and you don’t know what's wrong,' she said. Both she, her husband Christopher and her two year old son had extreme nausea, blurry vision and lethargy after drinking the water in 2020.
Emely and Christopher Brian Wren, and their two year old son all suffered from nausea, blurry vision and lethargy in 2020.
The FDA launched an investigation into Real Water and warned that people should not drink, cook with, sell, or serve the product
On top of the $3billion the company was ordered to pay as punishment, the jury asked Real Water to pay $98 million to help cover costs the families have incurred in treating their physical and psychological wounds.
The children included in the suit were between seven months and five years of age. All were flown to a children's hospital in Salt Lake City for acute liver damage in 2020.
Some of the children had cirrhosis, a scarring of the liver that is commonly associated with alcoholics, and is irreversible.
Real Water was manufactured to be alkaline — meaning it has a slightly higher pH than water.
It's popularly thought of us a healthy option, despite having no significant edge over normal water, Dr Howard E. LeWine the Chief Medical Editor of Harvard Health Publishing, said.
Manufacturers make alkaline water in a factory by passing water through giant magnets called an ionizer.
Real Water used a novel seven part process to alkalize their product, which involved electrifying the water for 12 hours twice. The device used to electrify the water was likely what produced the hydrazine.
Hydrazine is used and produced when making rocket propellant and spacecraft fuels. It's clear, highly flammable and smells like ammonia.
Ingesting it can cause an upset stomach, vomiting, uncontrolled shaking, lethargy, nerve inflammation and coma, according to the CDC.
Studies haven't been done to directly determine what affect the toxin has on your liver. But because the liver is responsible for filtering your blood, when it breaks down toxins, they can cause serious, irreversible harm to the tissue, according to Mayo Clinic.
The fact that hydrazine was allowed into the water supply highlights the lack of quality control at the Real Water facilities, Will Kemp, the lead attorney for the families, told Newsweek.
'We just hope that it encourages the bottled water industry to test all their products like they should in the first place,' Mr Kemp said.
One of the most high profile cases against Real Water involved that of Myles Hunwardsen who had to be airlifted to the hospital for a liver transplant after drinking the company's water
Jazmin Schaffer lost function of her hands and started shaking uncontrollably while driving. She was part of the group awarded $130million in damages in February 2024.
Another plaintiff in the February 2024 case against Real Water, Miriam Brody was 78 when she was taken to Henderson Hospital and treated for liver failure.
Tina Hartshorn used to purchase gallons of Real Water to drink at home, and was part of the February 2024 proceedings against the company.
Federal complaints against Real Water date as far back as March 2021. The FDA and Southern Nevada Health District initially investigated the company because it had been linked to non-viral hepatitis.
At this point, Real Water pulled their products from shelves.
This joint investigation resulted in a complaint from the FDA that stated Real Water had violated national laws by distributing 'adulterated and misbranded bottled water'.
The FDA complaint read: 'While the companies marketed their products as a healthy alternative to tap water, the government alleged that the products in fact consisted of municipal tap water that the defendants processed with various chemicals in violation of current good manufacturing practices, relevant food safety standards and hazard prevention measures'.
Less than two months later, the company filed for bankruptcy. Their President, former Nevada legislator Brent Jones, issued an apology.
They were ordered to pay $228million in damages in one suit in October 2023 and $130million in damages in February 2024.
The February 2024 suit included Myles Hunwardsen, 29, who had to get a liver transplant and Jazmin Schaffer, Tina Hartshorn, Miriam Brody and Christina Sosa, who all suffered liver failure after drinking Real Water.
Before they even figured out what caused it, the plaintiffs were struck by intense vomiting, nausea, confusion, fatigue and brain fog after drinking Real Water at some point in 2020, much like the plaintiffs in the June 2024 case.
Mr Kemp, who also represented the victims in the February case, said: 'We want to send a message to food and beverage manufacturers that they should be committed to quality assurance.'
