Washington Supreme Court rules Amazon can be sued over sale of “suicide kits”
The court ruled that Amazon can be sued for negligence, finding it has a legal “duty of care” to prevent foreseeable harm from products sold on its platform, even when misused by consumers.
Lawsuits allege Amazon sold high-concentration sodium nitrite to individuals who later died by suicide and that its algorithm recommended bundling it with items like scales and anti-vomiting medication, creating “veritable suicide kits.”
Sodium nitrite in high concentrations is a powerful toxin; ingesting small amounts can rapidly cause oxygen deprivation (methemoglobinemia), leading to organ failure and death.
The ruling challenges Amazon’s defense as a neutral platform, treating it as a seller. This follows Amazon’s own policy changes to restrict and later ban high-concentration sales and a new Washington state law (“Tyler’s Law”) restricting such sales.
The decision allows the lawsuits to move forward, where a jury must decide if Amazon knew or should have known the foreseeable risks of selling the pure chemical directly to consumers.
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