Real Water trial over liver failure claims begins

Real Water liver failure trial overview: 

• Who: A trial began in a lawsuit brought by a group of eight Las Vegas residents against Real Water, a now-defunct alkaline water company. 
• Why: The plaintiffs claim they suffered sudden-onset liver failure after consuming the recalled and discontinued Real Water drinking water product. 
• Where: The trial is in the Eighth District Court of Nevada, Clark County. 

A trial involving eight Las Vegas residents and Real Water, a now-shuttered alkaline water company, began at the end of May. 

The Las Vegas residents, which include five children and three adults, argue Real Water caused them to develop sudden-onset liver failure, Law360 reports. 

Real Water reportedly recalled the drinking water in March 2021 after customers reported hospitalizations in connection with the product and shut its doors for good several months later following a health agency investigation, according to Law360.

The Las Vegas residents claim Real Water contained the toxic chemical hydrazine, a result of the alkalinization process, that caused them to develop liver failure. 

Real Water says it did not anticipate hydrazine in drinking water product

The child plaintiffs, between the ages of 7 months to 5 years, were flown to the children’s hospital in Salt Lake City for treatment in the fall of 2020 as a result of consuming the Real Water product, Law360 reports the residents as stating. 

The Las Vegas residents claim both children and parents suffered from acute liver failure, and, while the children were able to avoid liver transplants, their parents reportedly had to sign consent forms for them to receive one.

While Real Water has taken responsibility for the residents’ past medical costs, it maintains punitive damages would not be appropriate, arguing it did not expect, anticipate or understand the presence of hydrazine in its product, Law360 reports. 

In a separate case, a jury in Las Vegas awarded more than $129 million to five individuals in February over claims they developed liver failure after consuming Real Water’s alkalinized water product.

The award included a total of $29 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. The largest amount of compensation went to an individual who had to undergo a liver transplant. 

Did you suffer liver failure after consuming Real Water’s drinking water? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Will Kemp and Eric Pepperman of Kemp Jones LLP and Theodore Parker of Parker Nelson.

The Real Water liver failure trial is In re: Wren, et al. v. Affinitylifestyles, et al., Case No. A-21-831169-B, in the Eighth District Court of Nevada, Clark County. 

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