On February 19, 2026, the Washington Supreme Court (WASC) reaffirmed the law’s capacity to evolve in a historic 9-0 decision in cases against Amazon for selling suicide poison to the public.

Since February 2022, our firm has brought a total of 10 lawsuits against Amazon.com, Inc., on behalf of the Families for 28 individuals who are now dead due to Amazon’s decision to promote, sell, and home-deliver a suicide chemical, sodium nitrite, (SN) to its vulnerable customers.

For five years, Amazon has argued that it bears no responsibility for knowingly selling sodium nitrite, a product it knows has no household use besides suicide.

“WHITENER, J. – Four individuals, Mikael Scott, Tyler Muhleman, Demetrios Viglis, and Ava Passannanti (decedents), died by suicide by ingesting sodium nitrite they purchased from Amazon on the company’s website, Amazon.com. The decedents’ families and estates (Plaintiffs) seek review of the Court of Appeals’ decision reversing the trial court’s denial of Amazon’s CR 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim for negligence under the Washington product liability act (WPLA), ch. 7.72 RCW. The Court of Appeals Division One held that Plaintiffs could not state a claim for relief under WPLA because suicide was a superseding cause. Scott v. Amazon.com, Inc., 33 Wn. App. 2d 44, 559 P.3d 528 (2024). We disagree.”

After arduous appeals, on September 9, 2025, our firm’s Founder Carrie Goldberg and Partner Naomi Leeds appeared before WASC to argue for Amazon’s liability after an appellate court overturned the decisions of two trial courts that had ruled in favor of the parents’ case proceeding.

With today’s unanimous decision, WA law now makes it clear that suicide does NOT automatically block liability for selling suicide products.  Washington Supreme Court full-throatedly rejected an antiquated “suicide rule” from 100 years ago. The majority decision, and three concurring opinions, agree that outdated bars to recovery when third parties (like Amazon here) played a role in the suicide reflect an outdated grasp of mental health.

Washington Supreme Court acted with clarity and care to reject Amazon’s contention that suicidal people are defective. Amazon insisted it was entitled to sell a suicide chemical, manipulate algorithms to link it with instructions for self-harm, and delete warnings—and that the law would protect its right to do. They were wrong. This decision affirms that companies cannot turn a blind eye to the harms they cause and expect immunity when lives are lost.

Death by suicide does not erase Amazon’s obligation to act with simple care. Disregard for human life has consequences.

Read the full decision below.