Amazon has been denied an interlocutory review of its previous motion to dismiss in Washington in a lawsuit over the retail giant’s alleged sale of “suicide kits,” according to an attorney for one of the plaintiffs.
Lawyers filed a complaint in California state court in September on behalf of the parents of two teenagers who took a lethal dose of the chemical sodium nitrite bought off Amazon. While the chemical is most often used to cure meat, high levels can prove lethal if ingested. (RELATED: Biological Male Applies For Medically Assisted Suicide Over Complications From Vaginoplasty)
Lawyers for the parents claim that the chemical is sold on Amazon at such high concentrate that the smallest amount can prove fatal, according to NPR.
Amazon’s motion for interlocutory review of its failed motion to dismiss denied today in WA State!! Our clients may proceed in holding AMZ accountable for aiding suicide. Yay to my partner @naomi_leeds and our clients and everybody who cares about corps not killing people.
— Carrie Goldberg (@cagoldberglaw) February 3, 2023
“It’s pretty fricking baffling. The biggest corp in history of the world knowingly sold suicide product w/ no household use,” lawyer Carrie Goldberg said on Twitter. “Plaintiff families have won at every stage. Despite Amazon’s repeated attempts at dismissal.”
“Sodium nitrite is a legal and widely-available product offered by retailers to preserve foods, such as meats and fish, and for use in laboratories as a reagent. Sodium nitrite is not intended for consumption, and unfortunately, like many products, it can be misused,” Amazon told NPR in a previous statement.