Taser Held Liable for First Time in Death Case

A federal jury has found Taser International liable for the death of a California man and awarded more than $6 million in damages.

Robert Heston Jr. died after he was repeatedly shocked by a Taser. An autopsy found he died because of a combination of drug use, heart problems and Taser shocks, reports the Monterey County Herald.

A lawyer for the family told the Herald that the verdict issued Friday evening is the first to hold the company responsible for death or injury caused by its product. Jurors found Taser failed to warn of the product’s dangers, the story says.

A Taser press release says the company was found 15 percent responsible for Heston’s death, and he was found 85 percent responsible.

A hat tip to the New York Times blog, The Lede, which cites a report that Taser had previously won 69 cases.