If you own a Taurus handgun, you will want to read this post. Recently, Iowa deputy sheriff Chris Carter brought suit against Brazilian firearms manufacturer Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc. for a defect in their handguns whereby the weapons could potentially fire when dropped. Those who own Taurus handguns in the following models may be able to, if they wish, receive compensation for the weapons as part of the settlement reached between Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc. and the lead plaintiff. From the lawsuit’s website:

Carter v. Forjas Taurus, S.A., et al.

If you own one or more of the following “Class Pistols” : PT-111 Millennium; PT-132 Millennium; PT-138 Millennium; PT-140 Millennium; PT-145 Millennium; PT-745 Millennium; PT- 609; PT-640; and PT-24/7 pistols (including the “PRO” series of each of these models), you may be entitled to the settlement benefits below. The settlement does not include Taurus G2 model pistols.

• Settlement Payment Option – Settlement Class Members may elect to return their Class Pistol to the Taurus Companies and receive a payment of up to $200 per Class Pistol.
• Enhanced Warranty – The Taurus Companies agree to modify their existing warranty for all Class Pistols to allow any owner to submit a warranty claim at any time.
  • The Class Pistol will be inspected by the Taurus Companies at no cost and repaired or replaced as necessary.
  • The Taurus Companies will pay all costs associated with this enhanced warranty, including but not limited to the cost of shipping to and from the Taurus Companies and the cost inspect the Class Pistol.
• Safety Training – The Taurus Companies have produced special and particularized safety training addressing the operation and handling of class pistols.

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Case No. 1:13-cv-24583-PAS

This website is authorized by the Court, supervised by counsel and controlled by Heffler Claims, the Claims Administrator approved by the Court. This is the only authorized website for this case.

For more information please call 1-844-528-0180

Unfortunately, the Brazilian manufacturer’s handguns have been plagued by scandal recently. My own fairly negative experiences with the company’s products aside, the company has experienced two recalls prior to this lawsuit, the first being the abortive release of the Taurus Curve handgun due to some guns being released without the caliber markings required by law, the other being a Brazilian police recall of 98,000 24/7 DS pistols which had a propensity for firing accidentally. The lawsuit is based on the weapons potentially being able to fire when dropped, which is obviously a safety hazard. Our readers can see how this can happen by clicking this link and watching the embedded video.

The website has an FAQ to inform those who may need to trade in their pistols for the settlement. It can be reached via this link.