New Hampshire gun maker Sig Sauer is facing another round of civil lawsuits alleging the company’s P320 pistol fired without a trigger pull, causing serious injuries.
The new court filing, which includes allegations made by seven victims from across the country, marks the latest litigation involving the P320. In this and dozens of other cases, lawyers contend the gun has a design flaw that can cause unintentional discharges without a trigger pull.
Sig Sauer did not respond to a request for comment, but the company has previously stated the weapon is safe.
“The plaintiffs in this action are a group of highly trained and experienced firearms users whose lives were upended by a dangerously defective pistol: the Sig Sauer P320,” lawyers for the victims allege in court paperwork.
Among those now suing the gun company is Jorge Luis Munoz Palacios, a police officer in Puerto Rico, who claims his holstered P320 discharged in a Walgreens parking lot in 2022 as he seated himself in a vehicle. Palacios had to undergo surgery to remove a bullet from his left leg, according to court paperwork.
Other alleged victims include, Ray Tillotson, a New Jersey police officer who says his department-issued P320 discharged while he was practicing at a gun range.
John Mazur-Baker, a Marine Corps veteran now living in Michigan, claims his holstered P320 discharged as he removed his belt.
“Mr. Mazur-Baker now has a permanent limp, deformities on his right leg, and scarring to both legs. He suffered a heart attack due to this incident,” the suit alleges.
In 2017, a prominent online gun shop raised concerns about the P320’s risk of firing when dropped from certain angles, which helped to prompt the company to launch a voluntary upgrade of the gun including hardware changes to the trigger and striker.
Sig Sauer has previously settled lawsuits involving alleged discharges, and the company successfully blocked a proposed class action lawsuit that centered on financial harm for P320 owners.
“The P320 meets and exceeds all US safety standards,” Sig Sauer says on its website, adding that “all precautions should be taken to avoid dropping a loaded firearm. Although extremely unlikely, it is still possible for any loaded firearm to discharge when dropped.”
