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Skip to main content Watch Live On Demand * * * * * * * * * * Home Page * Live * Watch Live: Law & Crime Network * WATCH LIVE: Man faces murder trial after bar brawl turns deadly * WATCH LIVE: Young Thug YSL racketeering trial * 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial * 10 Most Memorable Law&Crime Network Trials * Watch Live: Brevard County Bond Court * View All Live Trials * Where to Watch * TV Schedule * Bodycam Videos * Shows * Justice Rules * Vanished * Trial File * Buried with Love * Prime Crime * Jail * Cops Reloaded * Law&Crime Productions * Hosts * Podcasts * Shop * Book Club * Subscribe * * * * * * * * * Law&Crime Watch Live On Demand * Home Page * Live * Watch Live: Law & Crime Network * WATCH LIVE: Man faces murder trial after bar brawl turns deadly * WATCH LIVE: Young Thug YSL racketeering trial * 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial * 10 Most Memorable Law&Crime Network Trials * Watch Live: Brevard County Bond Court * View All Live Trials * Where to Watch * TV Schedule * Bodycam Videos * Shows * Justice Rules * Vanished * Trial File * Buried with Love * Prime Crime * Jail * Cops Reloaded * Law&Crime Productions * Hosts * Podcasts * Shop * Book Club * Subscribe * ‘SWEATING PROFUSELY’: HOSPITAL SECURITY GUARD ALLEGEDLY CAUGHT HAVING SEX WITH 79-YEAR-OLD CORPSE BY COWORKERS IN MORGUE FREEZER * MAN STABBED WOMAN TWICE IN BACK ‘BECAUSE I WANTED TO,’ BROKE SERRATED KNIFE IN TWO DURING ATTACK: DEPUTIES * SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT UNLAWFULLY RETALIATED AGAINST DAUGHTER’S SOFTBALL PITCHER RIVAL AFTER CLAIMING TEAMMATES CONSPIRED ‘TO NOT CLAP’ FOR MVP AWARD: LAWSUIT * ‘THERE WAS NO WAY TO SAVE HER’: MAN HELPED FAMILY SEARCH FOR MISSING EX-GIRLFRIEND, BUT HE ALLEGEDLY HAD ALREADY KILLED HER AND STUFFED BODY IN TRUNK * ‘REMORSELESS’ MAN GETS LIFE FOR STRANGLING PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND WITH SWEATPANTS, DISCARDING LIFELESS BODY ON SIDE OF HIGHWAY WHIP-IT! SELLERS MUST PAY $745 MILLION FOR SELLING TO DRIVER WHO PASSED OUT AND KILLED 25-YEAR-OLD VICTIM Elura NanosSep 11th, 2023, 10:07 am Updated Sep 11th, 2023, 1:03 pm 25 comments Share Twitter share button copy link Left: Trenton Geiger (image via Missouri Dept. of Corrections); Right: A carton of Whip-It! cream charger canisters is shown. (Image via court filings). A St. Louis jury ordered the distributor and local seller of Whip-It! nitrous oxide cartridges to pay a whopping $745 million for their “deliberate disregard” of public safety by selling the food-prep product to a young driver who inhaled the contents, got behind the wheel of a car and killed 25-year-old Marissa Politte. Politte, a radiology technician, was killed when 20-year-old Trenton Geiger passed out while driving. After the accident, police discovered that Geiger had been abusing Whip-It! nitrous oxide behind the wheel, then threw some of the used containers into the woods where it was recovered by investigators. Whip-It! nitrous oxide chargers (also known as “whippets”) are small steel canisters used with whipped cream dispensers for food preparation. However, the evidence presented at trial showed that Whip-It! chargers are often used as inhalants — which can cause addiction and brain damage. Politte’s parents brought a wrongful death lawsuit against United Brands Products Design Development and Marketing, Inc., an international distributor of Whip-It!, for allegedly exploiting the illicit market for nitrous oxide by selling the product to retailers far outside the food business, such as tobacco stores and head shops. According to the complaint, inhaling nitrous oxide, “can result in euphoric, dissociated, and out-of-body experiences,” as well as, “[cause] the user to get very dizzy, light-headed, and giggly.” The plaintiffs said the side effects of nitrous oxide abuse include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, vitamin deficiency, hemorrhages, heart attacks, seizures, comas, asphyxiation, neurological damage, and even death — and that Marissa Politte was one of many victims who suffered as a direct result of Whip-It! abuse. The court filing said that Geiger had been addicted to the substance, and that in addition to the canister found nearby, multiple pieces of related drug paraphernalia were found in the driver’s vehicle after the collision. Related Coverage: * WOMAN ALLEGEDLY PUT SHAMPOO IN HER DRY HAIR IN COVER STORY FOR STEPFATHER’S MURDER * SOCIAL WORKER ACCUSED OF ABUSING 13-YEAR-OLD BOY AND THREATENING MOM FOR CALLING COPS NOW FACES LAWSUIT OVER ‘PERMANENT’ DAMAGE DONE, ‘MENTAL ANGUISH’ * TACO BELL EMPLOYEE SAYS SHE WAS THREATENED, HARASSED FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT ALCOHOL-FUELED CHRISTMAS PARTY THAT INCLUDED PUBLIC SEX The jury found United Brands Products Design Development and Marketing, Inc. and Coughing Cardinal, LLC, a St. Louis head shop, conspired to sell the product to Geiger. At trial, attorneys for the plaintiffs introduced the testimony of a former United Brands warehouse employee who estimated 75% of the company’s product went to smoke shops and that marketing campaigns specifically targeted young people at concerts and parties. At the close of the case on Friday, the defendants each moved for a directed verdict in their favor. The court denied both motions, thereby clearing the way for the jury to assess the massive damages against the losing litigants. Of the $745 million judgment, $20 million represented compensatory damages, while $700 million was assessed in punitive damages against United Brands and another $25 million in punitive damages against Coughing Cardinal. Johnny M. Simon, attorney for the Politte family, reacted to the verdict in a statement Sunday: > We hope that her life is memorialized through this verdict, and no family will > ever have to live with the pain that the Politte family has lived with and > will live with forever. We thank the jurors for their dedication and service > and look forward to the day when nitrous oxide is off the shelves of smoke and > head shops. Geiger, now 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree involuntary manslaughter, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and evidence tampering. He was sentenced to two years in prison for each count. Close Powered By 10 Bodycam: Target Shoplifting Suspect Rats on Fiancé for Stealing with Her Share Next Stay Attorneys for the defendants did not respond to requests for comment. Join the discussion 25 comments Editor’s Note: This piece was updated from its original format to include additional legal analysis. Have a tip we should know? tips@lawandcrime.com FILED UNDER: Missouriwrongful death FOLLOW LAW&CRIME: * * * * * * * * * Gutes Hören Pforzheim: Gutes Hören sucht 700 Testhörer vor 1972 geborenGutes Hören| SponsoredSponsored Undo Treppenlift-Vergleich Kein Scherz: So wenig kosten Treppenlifte wirklich (11/2023)Treppenlift-Vergleich| SponsoredSponsored Mehr erfahren Undo Pflege-Ratgeber24 Achtung: Wer einen Pflegegrad hat, der lässt oft bares Geld liegen!So holen Sie sich gratis Pflegeprodukte im Wert von 480€ im JahrPflege-Ratgeber24| SponsoredSponsored Mehr erfahren Undo Apotheken Magazin Privatversichert? Genialer Trick reduziert bis zu 70% der BeiträgeSenioren dürfen ab sofort auch wechseln und Geld sparenApotheken Magazin| SponsoredSponsored Mehr erfahren Undo Treppenlift-Vergleich Kein Scherz: So wenig kosten Treppenlifte 2023 wirklichMit Aroundhome Angebote für Treppenlifte von geprüften und bewerteten Fachfirmen erhalten. ✔ unabhängige Beratung ✔ kostenlos & unverbindlich ✔ regionalTreppenlift-Vergleich| SponsoredSponsored Mehr erfahren Undo Previous PostNext Post Previous PostNext Post Elura Nanos - Columnist & Trial Analyst, Law & Crime; CEO Lawyer Up * * * Elura is a columnist and trial analyst for Law & Crime. Elura is also a former civil prosecutor for NYC's Administration for Children's Services, the CEO of Lawyer Up, and the author of How To Talk To Your Lawyer and the Legalese-to-English series. Follow Elura on Twitter @elurananos More Stories by Elura Nanos Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. TOP OF TODAY 1. HOMELESS WOMAN BREAKS INTO HOME, MURDERS CHARITY FOUNDER WHO WORKED WITH RAPPER COMMON: COPS 2. ELDERLY MAN BEAT HIS WIFE TO DEATH WITH CANDLE JAR DURING ARGUMENT OVER THEIR CAT'S VET CARE: COPS 3. ACCUSED CHILD ABUSER RUBY FRANKE'S ESTRANGED HUSBAND FILES FOR DIVORCE 4. 'MOST HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE': SKELETAL REMAINS OF MURDERED MAN FOUND OFF HIGHWAY IDENTIFIED AFTER NEARLY 40 YEARS 5. 'I CAN'T GO BACK TO JAIL': MAN LED HIS CHILDREN TO SLAIN WIFE BEFORE RUNNING OFF WITH MURDER WEAPON, DEPUTIES SAY by Taboolaby Taboola Sponsored LinksSponsored Links Promoted LinksPromoted Links You May Like Gutes Hören Pforzheim: Gutes Hören sucht 700 Testhörer vor 1972 geborenGutes Hören Undo Treppenlift-Vergleich Kein Scherz: So wenig kosten Treppenlifte wirklich (11/2023)Treppenlift-VergleichMehr erfahren Undo Tips Have a tip or story idea? Email us. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. 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Elura NanosNov 21st, 2023, 12:42 pm * LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST SHERIFF’S OFFICE THAT HIRED ‘MENTALLY UNFIT’ DEPUTY WHO CATFISHED A TEENAGER AND DROVE CROSS-COUNTRY TO MURDER HER FAMILY THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING Colin KalmbacherNov 20th, 2023, 4:59 pm © 2023 LawNewz About Us Advertise Newsletter Privacy Accessibility User Agreement Ethics & Diversity Policy Contact Dan Abrams, Founder Skip to main content Watch Live On Demand * * * * * * * * * * Home Page * Live * Watch Live: Law & Crime Network * WATCH LIVE: Man faces murder trial after bar brawl turns deadly * WATCH LIVE: Young Thug YSL racketeering trial * 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial * 10 Most Memorable Law&Crime Network Trials * Watch Live: Brevard County Bond Court * View All Live Trials * Where to Watch * TV Schedule * Bodycam Videos * Shows * Justice Rules * Vanished * Trial File * Buried with Love * Prime Crime * Jail * Cops Reloaded * Law&Crime Productions * Hosts * Podcasts * Shop * Book Club * Subscribe * * * * * * * * * Law&Crime Watch Live On Demand * Home Page * Live * Watch Live: Law & Crime Network * WATCH LIVE: Man faces murder trial after bar brawl turns deadly * WATCH LIVE: Young Thug YSL racketeering trial * 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial * 10 Most Memorable Law&Crime Network Trials * Watch Live: Brevard County Bond Court * View All Live Trials * Where to Watch * TV Schedule * Bodycam Videos * Shows * Justice Rules * Vanished * Trial File * Buried with Love * Prime Crime * Jail * Cops Reloaded * Law&Crime Productions * Hosts * Podcasts * Shop * Book Club * Subscribe Keep on reading Parents allegedly waited 10 hours to call 911 as infant daughter died from fentanyl exposureCalifornia couple Derek Rayo and Kelly Richardson are accused of waiting 10 hours to report the fentanyl death of their 18-month-old daughter Winter Rayo.Law and Crime Group 3 Undo Caretaker brutally killed her 93-year-old grandma and grandma's partner inside their home: CopsTzara Jones was arrested for allegedly killing her grandmother and her grandmother's partner, stabbing them inside the 93-year-old woman's Maine home.Law and Crime Group 3 Undo Second Stephen Smith autopsy largely confirmed results of first examinationExperts who examined Stephen Smith’s remains have concluded that something hanging from a vehicle hit Smith in the head, causing his death in July 2015.Law and Crime Group 3 Undo Ex-boyfriend leads police on high-speed chase after missing teen's body found in orchardMelanie Camacho's body was found in an orchard in California, leading to murder charges for her ex-boyfriend, Vicente Jasso and his friend Jose Lopez-Hernandez.Law and Crime Group 3 Undo ' ' ' ' ' ' Abrams Media This whiskey club has people turning their heads thanks to its unique approachThe Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club sends each of its subscribers a highly rated bottle every month.Abrams Media Undo Gutes Hören Pforzheim: Gutes Hören sucht 700 Testhörer vor 1972 geborenGutes Hören| SponsoredSponsored Undo Treppenlift-Vergleich Kein Scherz: So wenig kosten Treppenlifte wirklich (11/2023)Treppenlift-Vergleich| SponsoredSponsored Mehr erfahren Undo Daughter who gouged mom's eyes out and put them on cardboard box sentenced to prisonCamille Balla pleaded guilty to manslaughter after she killed her mom Francisca Monteiro-Balla and gouged her eyes out. 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