Kenneth Glad
The case centered on claims that an online seller failed to carry out age checks and background screening before shipping a firearm kit. A court had already ruled against the company before jurors considered damages.
A Kentucky jury has awarded $104.2 million to the family of Henry Willis, an 18-year-old who died by suicide after buying and assembling a pistol kit ordered online.
The jury ordered Husky Armory to pay $4.2 million in economic damages and $100 million in punitive damages. Everytown Law, which represented the family, said it was the largest verdict ever reached against a firearms seller, according to the Associated Press.
The Omaha-based company owned by Cody Yurk did not respond to the wrongful-death lawsuit. A Louisville state court therefore entered a default judgment against the business before the two-day trial.
That meant jurors were asked to decide how much the company should pay rather than reconsider its liability. Husky Armory did not attend the proceedings, and inquiries sent to the company and Yurk were not returned.
The family alleged required checks were ignored
Willis purchased a Glock G19-style build kit from the company’s website in 2023. His family alleged that Husky Armory completed the sale without carrying out federally required background screening or confirming that the buyer was old enough to receive the product.
Build kits contain parts that can be assembled into working firearms. They are commonly associated with ghost guns, a term used for weapons that may be harder to trace when they lack serial numbers.
The lawsuit said Willis built the handgun in his family’s garage while telling his father that he was assembling a transistor radio. Six days after completing the weapon, he used it to take his own life.
Court filings said the website promoted the package as containing “everything you need to build your own Glock style pistol from the comfort of your home.” The lawsuit also alleged that the company marketed assembly as simple enough for almost anyone.
The ruling adds to regulatory scrutiny
Federal rules covering qualifying ghost-gun kits require serial numbers and subject sellers to background-check and age-verification obligations. The US Supreme Court upheld the Biden administration’s regulation in 2025.
Willis’ mother, Laura Herp, said her son had faced mental health difficulties before his death and remembered him as a “kind, gentle child.”
“A child in crisis should never be able to access a deadly weapon,” Herp said.
Everytown Law attorney Dana Mulhauser said the payout should warn businesses accused of evading checks designed to prevent prohibited or underage buyers from obtaining firearms.
In the United States, anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 988. Outside the country, local crisis-support services can be found through the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Sources: Associated Press.
