Result: Verdict, $16,994,033
Choking death
Santa Clara County Superior Court
May 13, 2003
On April 10, 1999, nine-year-old Michelle Enrile choked while eating a Konjac Mini Gel Snack. The candy completely obstructed her windpipe, and all efforts by her parents and paramedics to dislodge the candy were fruitless. She fell into a vegetative state and died two years later.
The O'Reilly Law Firm launched an investigation into the safety of Konjac Mini Gel candies. The investigation revealed that Konjac Mini Gel Snacks presented a preeminent choking hazard. Once trapped inside a child's throat, a Konjac-based snack occluded the airway so tightly it rendered even the Heimlich maneuver ineffective.
The firm filed suit against the candies' manufacturers and distributors, alleging that the candies should never have been sold for human consumption. As the case progressed, media attention grew, culminating in a front page USA Today article and a segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Though Gil and Yvonne Enrile found it painful to discuss their loss, they participated in numerous television interviews to spread the word about the dangers of Konjac Mini Gel candies which, though ordered off the market by the FDA, continued to be sold in smaller groceries nationwide.
A jury found the defendant candy manufacturer, Sheng Hsiang Jen Foods Company, Ltd., liable for the choking death of Michelle Enrile and awarded her parents a $16,994,033 verdict.
