Dozens of lawsuits have been filed by police officers and civilians who were shot by a Sig Sauer P320 pistol that fired without a trigger pull.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Sig Sauer P320 Pistol induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was shot by a P320 Pistol that fired a bullet without pulling the trigger, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
What is the Problem?
The problem with the original Sig Sauer P320 pistol is what is called an “unintended discharge.” In other words, the gun shoots a bullet without a trigger pull. This is an extremely dangerous safety defect.
Can The P320 Fire On Its Own?
In 2018, reports began surfacing from people who said their P320 pistol shot a bullet without the trigger being pulled, without being dropped.
In some cases, these reports came from police officers who said their P320 shot a bullet when it was still holstered. Other reports came from civilians who claimed their P320 pistol fired on its own.
How Many People Have Been Shot?
Although no deaths have been linked to P320 unintentional discharges, there are at least 80 people who have been wounded in these incidents since 2016.
Lawsuits claim the gun fired during routine movements — holstering and unholstering the weapon, climbing in and out of vehicles, walking down stairs or hallways — when the user’s hand was nowhere nearby.
P320 Injury Lawsuit Filed by Police Officer
In July 2023, a lawsuit was filed by Deputy David Cole, a police officer from Maine who was shot in the leg when his holstered P320 discharged while he was walking in a building to execute a search warrant. He claims that he was carrying a jacket, so his hands were nowhere near the gun when it fired a bullet that went through his thigh and calf and into his ankle.
Lawsuits Claim P320 Can Fire Without Trigger Pull
Sig Sauer admits that the P320 can fire when dropped, and has offered a free repair — but in recent years, dozens of lawsuits have been filed by people who were shot by a P320 that fired a bullet when the weapon was holstered, with no physical interaction with the trigger.
$30 Million Lawsuit Filed Against Sig Sauer for P320 Injury
In May 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Sig Sauer by a man from North Carolina who was seriously injured when his Sig Sauer P320 shot him in the leg.
According to the lawsuit, he was sitting on his motorcycle when he put his holstered P320 into his back pocket. When he moved his leg, the gun shot a bullet that shattered his femur and ended up in his knee.
His lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina — Case Number 4:22-cv-00048.
Are Gun-Makers Immune From Injury Lawsuits?
No. Gun-makers are NOT immune from lawsuits involving defective guns. For example, if a gun-maker sells a gun that fails to function as designed and intended (for example, the gun fires a bullet when the trigger has not been pulled) the company is not immune from lawsuits involving people who were injured. This is why Sig Sauer is facing so many lawsuits involving people who were shot by a P320.
Judge Allows P320 Lawsuits Against Sig Sauer to Proceed
In June 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante allowed a lawsuit to proceed against Sig Sauer that was filed by a group of 20 people who claim they were shot and injured by a P320 pistol that fired without being dropped, and without any physical interaction with the trigger.
Sig Sauer Offers “Upgrade” to Fix Trigger Problems on Older P320s
Sig Sauer continues to insist that the P320 is safe, including the original unmodified version. Instead of a recall, Sig Sauer offered a Voluntary Upgrade Program that tries to fix the drop-fire problem by swapping out certain components of the gun, including the trigger. Anyone who bought a P320 pistol manufactured before August 8, 2017 is eligible.
U.S. Army Discovers “Drop-Fire” Problem With P320
The P320 pistol became the standard-issue sidearm for the U.S. military in 2017, replacing the Beretta M9 service pistol — but in 2016, the Army discovered a serious “drop-fire” problem, in which the gun could fire a bullet when dropped at a certain angle.
The drop-fire problem became the subject of a class action lawsuit settlement in February 2020 — Hartley et al v. Sig Sauer, Inc. et al.
Do I have a Sig Sauer P320 Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Sig Sauer P320 Pistol induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was shot by a P320 Pistol that fired a bullet without pulling the trigger, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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