Family of ‘Kratom’ product victim who died in 2021 gets awarded with $11 million in lawsuit in the United States

Krystal Talavera had lost her life in 2021 due to her consumption of herbal substance called Kratom.

Family of a "Kratom" victim has been awarded $11 million in a wrongful death federal lawsuit against its manufacturer, according to the New York Post. Krystal Talavera had lost her life in 2021 due to her consumption of herbal substance called Kratom.

Kratom was declared an opioid by FDA in 2018. (Getty Images)

Talavera's eldest son, Devin Filippelli had filed a lawsuit against The Kratom Distro and distributor Grow LLC, alleging that his mom’s supplements produced “opioid-like effects” and caused “respiratory failure.”

“This $11 million dollar judgment should be a wakeup call to the kratom industry about this dangerous and unregulated substance,” Talavera’s lawyer Tamara Williams said in a statement on Wednesday.

“There are families across the country who know firsthand that kratom is addictive and can be deadly,” added Williams.

During his ruling, West Palm Beach Circuit Judge Donald Middlebrooks said: “I again emphasize that no award of damages will ever be adequate and that this decision reflects nothing more than an adherence to prior cases.

On June 20, 2021, Talavera wanted to surprise her partner with a Father's Day breakfast but suddenly collapsed at her home in Florida. Biaggio Vultaggio, her partner found Talavera lying in their living room beside a coffee mug which contained The Kratom Distro –“Space Dust” — a product derived from the kratom plant and not regulated by the FDA.

According to Filippelli, his mother was introduced to Kratom products by a friend and she believed the products were “safe and natural dietary supplements.”

Notably, Kratom was declared an opioid by FDA in 2018. According to the FDA, around 1.7 million Americans took Kratom supplements in 2021.