Pennsylvania: Sheetz Salmonella Litigation
In the summer of 2004, more than 400 in Pennsylvania and four other Eastern states suffered salmonella poisoning that was traced to contaminated Roma tomatoes in sandwiches sold at Sheetz convenience stores. Marler Clark represents more than 80 of the victims.
The tomatoes are believed to have been grown in Florida and distributed by Coronet Foods of Wheeling, West Virginia. Investigators suspect that the pre-sliced tomatoes contained up to four different bacterial strains of salmonella. The Wheeling plant, which supplied bagged salads, vegetables and fruits to about 20 states, was subsequently closed.
California: Paramount Farms Almonds Salmonella Outbreak Litigation
Hundreds of consumers across the country may have been sickened in early 2004 by salmonella linked to almonds packaged by Paramount Farms in California and sold by Costco warehouses and other stores.
Marler Clark represents many of those customers, including a mother and two young children in Kennewick, Washington, who became ill after eating the raw almonds packaged by Paramount.
The company recalled 13 million pounds of its packaged almonds after health officials reported 25 cases of Salmonella poisoning traced to the product. Paramount had not pasteurized its raw almonds, but began using a gas pasteurizing process following the outbreak.
Health officials believe far more people have fallen ill, but that their illnesses were not linked officially to the almonds.
Georgia: Golden Corral Salmonella Outbreak
A four-year-old girl and her grandmother were among at least 23 people stricken with salmonella poisoning traced by state health authorities to the Golden Corral buffet restaurant in the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Georgia.
Marler Clark represents several of the victims of the outbreak, which was probably caused by an infected food handler in the summer of 2003. The restaurant was closed for several days while health inspectors searched for the source. Salmonella bacteria was found in the floor drain.
Colorado: Seasons at the Pond Salmonella litigation
More than 50 guests and employees were sickened with Salmonella Newport poisoning during an outbreak at the Seasons at the Pond restaurant in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in December of 2002. Marler Clark represents a 43-year-old mother who had eaten lunch with friends at the restaurant, and suffered more than a week of nausea, cramping, dry heaves and weakness..
Health authorities belief the poisoning originated with a fruit salad served as a side dish or breakfast entrÈe. Of the 50 victims, nine were restaurant employees, and three were hospitalized.
Illinois: Chili’s Salmonella Litigation
Nearly 50 people represented by Marler Clark received substantial settlements after contracting salmonella poisoning at Chili’s Grill and Bar in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills, north of Chicago, Illinois.
More than 300 patrons and restaurant employees suffered stomach pains and other symptoms after eating at the restaurant in late June of 2003. Health authorities reported that the restaurant continued to operate even after a dishwashing sanitizer broke down and the kitchen lost its fresh water supply.
County officials called it the worst salmonella outbreak in nearly 20 years. Among those sickened were 29 restaurant workers, and authorities blamed the outbreak on poor sanitation, including the lack of safe water for hand-washing.
Washington and Oregon: Harmony Farms Salmonella Litigation
Alfalfa sprouts produced by Harmony Farms, of Auburn, Washington, were blamed for back-to-back outbreaks of Salmonella poisoning that sickened at least 16 people in Oregon and Washington in 2003. Marler Clark represents a 20-year-old Oregon man who contracted the illness from a cafÈ sandwich that included contaminated sprouts.
As a result, state health authorities ordered a recall of the alfalfa sprouts, which had been distributed to wholesalers, stores and restaurants throughout the West Coast. Even after Harmony Farms changed its procedures, there was a second outbreak later in the year that sickened more people and led to another state recall.
Washington: Quality Inn Salmonella litigation
Marler Clark represents a Clarkston, Washington, man who was one of 58 people infected with Salmonella Enteritidis at a company banquet at the Clarkston Quality Inn in March, 2003. The victim suffered extreme diarrhea, stomach cramps, high fever and vomiting in the days following the banquet, which also affected at least 25 of his fellow employees. His illness led to arthritis which left him unable to work and he was eventually terminated by the company.
Health officials concluded that the most likely source of the contamination was undercooked eggs used to make “fried ice cream.” The incidence of Salmonella is believed to be increasing in the U.S.
Colorado: KFC Salmonella litigation
Marler Clark represents the family of two small children who contracted Salmonella from “popcorn chicken” at a Colorado KFC restaurant in January of 2002.
Health authorities identified two areas in the restaurant kitchen where cross-contamination could have occurred.
New York: Brook-Lea Country Club salmonella litigation
Marler Clark represented 70 people sickened in the summer of 2002 by salmonella poisoning traced to the restaurant at the Brook-Lea Country Club in suburban Rochester, NY.
Nearly 100 people fell ill in the initial outbreak, which was followed by a second outbreak a few weeks later. For a time, the country club board of governors attributed the outbreaks to “deliberate contamination of food.”
The specific cause was not identified, but the Brook-Lea restaurant was closed for some time.
Oregon-Washington: Cantaloupe Salmonella Litigation
Marler Clark represents an 84-year-old Goldendale, WA, man who spent 18 days in hospital in 2002 after being poisoned by Salmonella in a cantaloupe grown in Mexico and distributed by Kunick Company of Texas.
The Salmonella outbreak sickened dozens of people in Western states and led to the recall of more than a quarter million cantaloupes. The melons were sold by Safeway and other stores and restaurants.
Cantaloupes have been increasingly associated with Salmonella outbreaks affecting consumers across the country. A 2001, a similar outbreak sickened people in 14 states from California and Washington to New York and Georgia.
North Carolina: Western Sizzlin’ Salmonella
Marler Clark represented 35 clients poisoned in April 2002 by salmonella at a Western Sizzlin’ restaurant in Spruce Pine, Mitchell County, near Asheville, NC.
Multi-State Outbreak: Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Litigation
Marler Clark filed lawsuits on behalf of the families of two young Washington state children who reportedly became sick after eating contaminated cereal have filed a lawsuit against the cereal maker. The lawsuit against Malt-O-Meal Inc. of Minneapolis was in King County Superior Court by the parents of 2-year-old Amelie Hinson and 17-month-old Kevin Keogh. The lawsuit says the children became seriously ill with fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea in late May and early June after eating toasted oats breakfast cereal made by Malt-O-Meal.
Multistate Outbreak: Sun Orchard Salmonella Litigation
Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm with a long track record of successful lawsuits against food companies, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all persons sickened and injured by unpasteurized orange juice contaminated with a rare strain of the Salmonella bacteria, Salmonella muenchen. The contaminated juice was linked to the illness of hundreds and the death of Henry Knam.
Kansas: San Antonio Taco Salmonella Litigation
Marler Clark sued San Antonio Taco Co. on behalf of a Kansas family over problems they experienced after eating salmonella-infected food at the restaurant near Vanderbilt University last August. The Metro Health Department received calls from more than 200 people who said they had symptoms of food poisoning after eating at the popular restaurant Aug. 5-7. Health officials subsequently confirmed that 11 of those people were infected with salmonella, but officials said they could not pinpoint the exact cause of the outbreak. The restaurant’s management closed it voluntarily for an extensive cleaning on Aug. 12-13.
Virginia: Linh’s Bakery Salmonella Litigation
Marler Clark filed the suit in Henrico County Circuit Court on behalf of a Palmyra family who got sick after eating food bought at Linh’s Bakery and Deli in the West End. As many as 250 people reported getting sick in the outbreak that happened around the weekend of April 7 and that health official’s blame on salmonella contamination from a sandwich spread made with raw eggs.
California: Shipley Sales Salmonella Litigation
Marler Clark filed suits against Shipley Sales on behalf of 78-year old Florence Dodds and fifteen month old Nathan Eget. On May 25, 2001 the FDA issued a press release warning consumers about Viva Brand imported cantaloupe. The FDA advised consumers of an outbreak of salmonella poona linked to cantaloupe imported to the U.S. by Shipley Sales Service of Nogales, Arizona. The outbreak was implicated in numerous illnesses and one death in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington State. The FDA detained all cantaloupe imported by Shipley Sales Service and took steps to prevent the importation of any additional contaminated cantaloupe.