A jury has ordered a ghost gun company to pay $104.2 million in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of an 18-year-old Kentucky resident who died by suicide. The verdict against Husky Armory LLC is believed to be the largest ever against a gun seller.
The family of Henry Willis sued Husky Armory, alleging the company illegally sold a pistol "build kit" to their son, who was under 21, violating federal regulations. Willis purchased the kit from the company's website in 2023 and assembled the handgun in his garage. He died by suicide six days later.
Willis's mother, Laura Herp, stated at a news conference that her son had struggled with mental health issues and should not have been able to access a firearm. "Companies like Husky Armory thrive off selling to folks who shouldn’t have access to firearms, and they didn’t care who Henry was," Herp said.
Attorneys for the family argued that Husky Armory circumvented federal requirements, including background checks and age verification, when selling the kit. The company's website advertised the product as being easy to assemble at home by "nearly anyone with a brain."
Husky Armory, based in Omaha, Nebraska, did not appear for the trial. A state court in Louisville had previously issued a default judgment against the vendor for failing to respond to the lawsuit.
The jury awarded $4.2 million in economic damages and $100 million in punitive damages. Everytown Law, representing the Willis family, noted that the payout surpasses the $73 million settlement awarded to the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims by rifle maker Remington.
This verdict comes more than a year after the Supreme Court upheld regulations requiring serial numbers on homemade firearms and mandating background checks and age verification for buyers. "This historic verdict sends a powerful message to ghost-gun sellers who set up businesses to profit by circumventing critical safeguards like background checks and age verification," said Dana Mulhauser, an attorney for Everytown Law.
For mental health support, individuals can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Resources for local mental health and crisis support can be found at dontcallthepolice.com. International resources are available through the International Association for Suicide Prevention.