Chesco Family Suing Herbal Supplement Maker For Wrongful Death

A Chester County family whose son died after taking a legal herbal supplement in 2018 are suing the manufacturer, SoCal Herbal Remedies, in what the family's attorneys call "the first wrongful death lawsuit of its kind in Pennsylvania."

Attorneys for the family of Caleb Sturgis, who was just 25 when he died, say the SoCal's supplement, kratom, is responsible for his death. It's the same conclusion the Chester County Coroner's Office came to last August.

Sturgis, of West Bradford, was not the only local death attributed to the supplement. Authorities said that Ryan Jones, of Caln Township, died of a related cause.

Sturgis' death was caused by "acute mitragynine intoxication," per the coroner.

Mitragynine is the predominant alkaloid produced by the southeastern Asian plant Mitragyna speciosa, which is commonly known as kratom. It is legal to buy and use in Pennsylvania and is unregulated. Advocates allege benefits like pain relief and addiction to opioids, although both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have expressed concerns.

“Kratom kills, and Kratom killed Caleb Sturgis, according to scientific medical testing and the Chester County Medical Examiner,” Sturgis family attorney Robert Mongeluzzi said in announcing the lawsuit. "If Caleb had not been seduced by the misleading and unproven claims of the Kratom industry, this incredible young man would be alive today."

The complaint seeks a jury trial, and both compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys said.

Sturgis, who was deaf, worked as a care manager with an organization that offered behavioral and developmental support to deaf people, according to his obituary.

His family remembered him for his curiosity, love of his family, and passion for the family's dogs and cats.

"His brightly burning candle kept him awake long into the night, enjoying long late-night chats on a thousand different topics," his obituary reads. "That flame that shone so bright blew out too early."

The wind that blew that candle out, according to medical reports and his family's attorney's, remains largely shrouded in mystery.

"Unfortunately, there is little research available on kratom," Chester County Coroner Christian VandePol said at the time of Sturgis' death. "These deaths obviously raise our level of concern, however, and I encourage health care providers to be on the alert for its use in our community."

The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that kratom is "easy to order on the internet."
It also goes by the following names: Biak; Ketum; Kakuam; Ithang; and Thom.

"Those responsible for (Caleb's) death must now be held accountable, and the Sturgis family is determined to do all it can to prevent other deaths caused by Kratom."

In May 2018, the FDA issued a warning to consumers about the product, advising against using kratom or its psychoactive compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.