Amazon's 'suicide kits' led to teenage deaths, new lawsuit claims

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Lawyers, representing parents suing Amazon for selling 'suicide kits' to teens who died by suicide, say they've reached a 'breaking point'.

Amazon lawyers reportedly told parents the online retailer had the right to sell these so-called 'suicide kits'. The kits are described in the lawsuit as bundled items that Amazon suggests buyers buy together, including a potentially deadly chemical called sodium nitrite, a scale to measure a lethal dose, a drug to prevent vomiting and a book with instructions on how to use the chemical to attempt suicide. Lawyers for the online retailer also reportedly said it would be "unfair and inhumane" to hold Amazon responsible for the teens' deaths. p>

One of the parents' lawyers, Carrie Goldberg, took to Twitter yesterday, alleging that Amazon's business ties to news outlets like CBS are effectively trying to silence media attention on their trial, while other lives likely remain at risk.

"For months, we have avoided press attention on this matter," Goldberg, founder of C.A. Goldberg, PLLC, told Ars in a statement. "But we've reached a breaking point where too many people are dying, where medical providers don't know what's going on or if there's a treatment protocol, and where the press is running stories about it, probably. because of the company's ties to Amazon."

In his tweet thread, Goldberg claimed a producer told him that CBS canceled a pair of 60 Minutes segments about the lawsuit - after CBS demanded an exclusive - because "CBS superiors canceled the story." Apparently, the producer said these executives "didn't want to risk anyone dying by suicide because of their segment." Ars found that CBS News previously reported lethal uses of sodium nitrite in 2020 and last month a 60 Minutes segment on child suicides.

Parents reportedly told Goldberg that CBS's cancellation was understandable because "everyone is afraid of Amazon." Goldberg tweeted that the parents also noted that CBS has a partnership with Amazon Prime.

Goldberg tweeted that the law firm communicated extensively with CBS before connecting its clients with CBS reporters to ensure CBS had experience reporting on suicide and knew how to handle segments with sensitivity. After receiving assurances from CBS and a commitment that the segment would air, Goldberg set up a Zoom with parents suing. She worried that the interviews would re-traumatize her clients and that for them it was only worth enduring this emotional strain if, by talking to CBS, they could bring awareness to the pain they had endured. /p>

“The failures of CBS have been demoralizing and deeply confusing,” Goldberg tweeted. "If it was really about not wanting to report suicides, why did they assure us so often that they knew how to do it?"

CBS did not immediately respond to Ars' request for comment. An Amazon spokesperson issued a statement to Ars, saying, "We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones personally affected by the suicide. Customer safety is a top priority at Amazon. We are committed to providing safe shopping experience and require our business partners to comply with all applicable laws and regulations when listing items for sale on our store."

According to the complaint, "Amazon is defending its right to sell sodium nitrite (and other products known to be used in suicide) because it says some states immunize defendants who cause bodily injury when that injury occurs. is produced during an attempted or a successful suicide."

Amazon appears to be bundling items into 'suicide kits'

In their complaint filed in a ...