Marler Clark clients traveled to DC to talk to Senators about their experiences with foodborne illness and urge the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (S510).

Bill Marler calls for enforcement of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, under which manufacturers who knowingly distribute tainted food products are subject to criminal prosecution.

A lawsuit was filed in California on behalf of a woman who lost her life to a Salmonella infection contracted from pepper produced by Union International Foods.  There is currently a separate outbreak linked to red and black pepper in Daniele International salami meat products.

A woman severely sickened in a 2009 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef filed a lawsuit today against Ashville, NY-based Fairbank Reconstruction Corporation, doing business as Fairbank Farms Inc., which produced the tainted meat.  The lawsuit was filed in the Maine District Court by the plaintiff’s attorneys, Bill Marler of foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark, and Peter Felmley of the Portland firm Drummond, Woodsum, & MacMahon. 

A lawsuit was filed today against Daniele International Inc. in an ongoing nationwide outbreak of Salmonella linked to pepper salami.  The lawsuit also names Wholesome Spice and Mincing Overseas Trading Company, both of which have been linked to the salmonella-tainted pepper believed to be the source of the outbreak.  The lawsuit was filed by in Cook County on behalf of a Chicago man by Marler Clark, the Seattle-based food safety law firm, and by Gary Newland of Illinois firm Newland, Newland, & Newland.

CAMDENTON, MO: A second victim of the nationwide outbreak of Salmonella linked to pepper in salami meats has come forward to file a lawsuit against Daniele International Inc., which produced the recalled salami, and against Wholesome Spice, which supplied the tainted pepper.  The CDC reports that currently 203 are confirmed ill in 42 states, with the actual total likely much higher. 

Safe food attorney Bill Marler has called for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to label meats that have undergone mechanical tenderization.  The controversial process has been linked to numerous outbreaks of the dangerous pathogen E. coli O157:H7, yet there is currently no disclosure required.

The first E. coli lawsuit against National Steak and Poultry (NSP), an Oklahoma meat manufacturing facility, was filed today in the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake City.  The civil suit was filed by Marler Clark and by Utah attorneys Jared Faerber and Dustin Lance on behalf of a child sickened in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to NSP beef products.  The lawsuit also names as yet unidentified “John Doe” companies that may have been involved in distributing the tainted meat products.

Everett, WA Seventeen people who were severely sickened in a 2008 E. coli outbreak at Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant (doing business as Ixtapa Barajas, Inc.) in Snohomish, Washington filed suit today. The lawsuit was filed by Drew Falkenstein and brings to 25 the number of victims that Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark has sought compensation for. 

Over a year after the outbreak of Salmonella in peanut butter that sickened hundreds and caused the deaths of at least nine, criminal prosecution of the responsible parties has yet to begin.  Marler Clark, who represents more than 45 of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) victims, is assisting them in an effort to hold PCA president Stewart Parnell accountable for his actions.  Some of the victims spoke this week about Parnell and PCA.

On Christmas eve the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a notice that National Steak and Poultry (NSP) was recalling 248,000 pounds of beef steaks contaminated with the highly virulent pathogen E. coli O157:H7.  The steaks were mechanically tenderized “non-intact steaks”, and were shipped to restaurants nationwide.  Although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) working with state health and agriculture departments linked the steaks to NSP while investigating illnesses in restaurants six states—Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, South Dakota, and Washington—a list detailing the distribution of the steaks has not been released by FSIS, CDC or NSP.

Unpasteurized milk—often referred to as raw milk—is at the center of a rally and court appearance today in Viroqua, Wisconsin.  The controversial product can contain bacteria, like E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter, which can severely sicken those who consume it—bacteria removed by the pasteurization process.  Advocates believe the pasteurization process also removes healthy aspects of the milk, and want the right to produce, sell, and consume it without regulation.  One of those advocates has organized a rally and workshop around his court appearance, featuring supporters from around the country.  What is not being discussed is the very dark down side of raw milk.

Two more E. coli lawsuits were filed this morning against Ixtapa Bajaras, Inc., d/b/a the Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant, bringing the current total to seven.  The restaurant, located at 301 91st Avenue NE in Lake Stevens, was the source of a 2008 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that is believed to have sickened as many as 64 people, according an investigation by the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) and Snohomish County Health Department (SCHD).  The lawsuits were filed by Marler Clark in the Superior Court of the State of Washington in and for the County of Snohomish on behalf of two restaurant patrons who ate at the restaurant in October 2008.

Stephanie Smith, the twenty-two year old Minnesota dance instructor left paralyzed by a burger tainted with E. coli filed suit today against Cargill, who produced the contaminated meat.  Ms. Smith, whose “The Burger that Shattered Her Life” profile in the New York Times was emailed all over the country, covered by hundreds of media outlets and galvanized legislators to change food laws, attempted mediation with the company, but was unable to come to a fair agreement with them.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Stephanie’s guardian, William R. Sieben, in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota by Bill Marler of the Seattle foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark, and by Jardine, Logan and O’Brien of St. Paul.

The Washington State Departments of Health and Agriculture today released information linking recent E. coli illnesses in Washington State to raw milk produced by the Dungeness Valley Creamery in Sequim, WA.

Food safety advocate and attorney Bill Marler will speak at the Government Accountability Project (GAP) conference “Empowering Employees to Protect Food Integrity”.  The event is being held at the American University College of Law this Friday, November 20, from 9:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.  The event is free, but registration is required. 

As news broke that more Maine residents may be infected with E. coli from Fairbank Farms ground beef, an Augusta woman severely sickened in the E. coli outbreak has filed suit against the company.  The lawsuit was filed in the Maine District Court by the plaintiff’s attorneys, Bill Marler of foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark, and Peter Felmley of the Portland firm Drummond, Woodsum, & MacMahon. 

Two lawsuits were filed this morning against Ixtapa Bajaras, Inc., doing business as the Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant.  The restaurant, located at 301 91st Avenue NE in Lake Stevens, was the source of a 2008 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 which sickened at least 23 patrons, according to the Snohomish County Health Department (SCHD).  The lawsuits were filed by Drew Falkenstein of foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark on behalf of two restaurant patrons who ate at the restaurant in October 2008. 

The second lawsuit stemming from an E. coli outbreak in Rhode Island and Massachusetts was filed today in the Trial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Superior Court, against Crocetti-Oakdale Packing, doing business as South Shore Meats, Inc., which recalled 1,039 pounds of E. coli-tainted beef linked to illnesses.  Hamburger meat from the company was served at a camp in Massachusetts where more than 30 campers and adults were sickened.

E. coli lawsuits were filed November 3, 2009 in Plymouth County Superior Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of two children who recently became ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections after consuming contaminated ground beef produced by two different companies.  The lawsuits were filed against Brockton, Mass.-based Crocetti’s Oakdale Packing, Inc., doing business as South Shore Meats Inc., and Ashville, NY-based Fairbank Farms, Inc.  Both companies recalled meat last week after their products were identified as the source of separate E. coli outbreaks in the Northeast. 

Seattle-based foodborne illness expert and attorney Bill Marler will be in Boston Wednesday (10/28/09) to meet with a victim of the widening South Shore Meats E. coli outbreak.

The Massachusetts camp where food made Rhode Island middle school children ill has said that officials linked the illnesses to hamburger, but no recall has yet been issued for the tainted meat.  Foodborne illness expert and attorney Bill Marler today called upon the USDA and Massachusetts Department of Agriculture to share their findings with consumers and ensure that all the contaminated meat is removed from the food supply.

“New food safety legislation is needed, if not for the consumer’s sake, then to put trial lawyers like me out of business,” says food safety advocate and foodborne illness attorney Bill Marler. 

Victims of an August, 2008 outbreak of E. coli 0111 have joined together to file suit against the Country Cottage restaurant, where they were sickened.  The lawsuit was filed today in the District Court in the State of Oklahoma, in and for the County of Mayes, on behalf of twelve families.  The suit was filed by foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and by the Blevins Law Firm of Pryor, OK.

News that a large and growing outbreak of highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 linked to the Gladstone Farm and Playbarn in Surrey, England has led E. coli expert Bill Marler to urge animal exhibitors on both sides of the Atlantic to implement existing safety guidelines. 

The 2006 outbreak of E. coli tied to spinach sickened more than 205 people nationwide, many gravely.  More than 31 developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) and five lost their lives.  One of the most critically ill was Jane Majeska of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, an 85-year old woman whose fight to stay alive in the months after she consumed the Dole E. coli O157:H7-tainted spinach cost almost a $500,000 dollars.  William Marler of the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark, along with the Fond du Lac firm of Sager Colwin Samuelsen, filed the lawsuit today in the Fond du Lac branch of the Wisconsin Circuit Court against Dole, Natural Selection Foods. Mission Organics, and Pic-n-Save.

A Wisconsin family sickened in the JBS Swift Beef Company outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 filed suit against the company today.  The lawsuit was brought by the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark in the Federal Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin.  This is the third lawsuit filed by Marler Clark in the aftermath of the JBS Swift outbreak, which sickened at least 23 people in nine states, 12 of whom had to be hospitalized.   

Another lawsuit on behalf of a customer sickened in the Milan McDonald’s outbreak was filed today in the Circuit Court of the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit of Rock Island County.  The lawsuit was filed against McDonald’s Inc., and Kevin Murphy, the owner of the McDonald’s restaurant at 400 West First Street in Milan, IL, by Marler Clark, the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm, and Craig Mielke of the Illinois firm of Foote, Meyers, Mielke & Flowers LLC.  This is the second illness lawsuit; a class action lawsuit was also filed on behalf of restaurant patrons who had to get a shot to avoid illness.

A lawsuit stemming from the recent outbreak of Salmonella illnesses was filed today in the Circuit Court for Shelby County, Tennessee against A&R Bar-be-que, LLC.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Memphis father and son by Seattle foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and by John Day of the Tennessee firm Day & Blair.

The first lawsuit on behalf of a customer sickened in the Milan McDonald’s outbreak was filed today in the Circuit Court of the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit of Rock Island County.  The lawsuit was filed against McDonald’s Inc., and Kevin Murphy, the owner of the McDonald’s restaurant at 400 West First Street in Milan, IL, by Marler Clark, the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm, and the Illinois firm of Foote, Meyers, Mielke & Flowers LLC. 

A class action lawsuit was filed today in the Circuit Court of the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit of Rock Island County against McDonald’s Inc., and Kevin Murphy, the owner of the McDonald’s restaurant at 400 West First Street in Milan, Illinois.  Marler Clark, the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm, and the Illinois firm of Foote, Meyers, Mielke & Flowers LLC, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the named plaintiff, Cody Patterson, and all others who were forced to receive Immune globulin (IG) shots after being exposed to the hepatitis A virus (HAV) at the Milan McDonald’s.

A second lawsuit stemming from the current Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli) recall by JBS Swift Beef Company was filed today in the US District Court, Eastern District of Washington.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of a young Selah-area child who fell ill with an E. coli infection after eating the tainted beef.  William Marler of the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark represents the family.

The first lawsuit stemming from the current E. coli O157:H7 (E. coli) recall by JBS Swift Beef Company of Greeley, Colorado that has been linked to 23 E. coli illnesses in California, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Wisconsin was filed today on behalf of an Albuquerque-area child who was infected with E. coli after eating kabobs prepared by his grandmother on Mother’s Day.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of 14 year old Alex Roerick by his attorneys, William Marler of the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and Kara Knowles of the Denver firm Montgomery, Little, Soran, & Murray.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 28, the JBS Swift Beef Company expanded the earlier recall of 41,280 pounds of beef contaminated with the highly toxic pathogen E. coli O157:H7 to include an additional 380,000 pounds.  The beef recalls are FSIS Class I, meaning the “use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”  The company and The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have made available a list of recalled products, but so far have refused to reveal where those products were shipped, even in light of illnesses linked to the meat.

An E. coli lawsuit was filed today on behalf of a Denver-area child who became gravely ill with E. coli O157:H7 after eating refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of Madison Sedbrook by her attorneys, William Marler of the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and Kara Knowles of the Denver firm Montgomery, Little, Soran, & Murray.

A young woman who was hospitalized for seven days after eating raw cookie dough made by Nestle USA filed suit today against the company in California Superior Court, San Mateo County.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 18-year-old Jillian Collins by her attorneys, William Marler of the Seattle-based foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and Terry O’ Reilly of the San Mateo firm Reilly Collins.

An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has sickened 66 people in 28 states points to the need for better funding for health surveillance, said food safety advocate and foodborne illness litigator William Marler.  News of the E. coli outbreak was issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), which said in its release that the link to Nestle Toll House raw cookie dough was strong enough to warrant a warning.

E. coli illnesses in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois have led health investigators to ground beef produced by Valley Meats, LLC of Coal Valley, IL.  The company has initiated a recall of 95,898 pounds of ground beef product that is possibly contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. 

William Marler, food safety advocate and expert in foodborne illness litigation, will speak at the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) conference E. coli: Cases, Controls, and Common Sense.  The conference is being held Wednesday, 13 May at the Regent’s Park Holiday Inn.  Mr. Marler will present his lecture, The Financial and Other Consequences of E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks: A US perspective, at 10:30 AM.

Litigation in the outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul sourced to alfalfa sprouts has taken a new turn, as an amended lawsuit now names the alfalfa seed supplier, Caudill Seed Company of Kentucky.  Certain batches of the seed are implicated in a multi-state outbreak that sickened over 150 people.  The amended lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of Nebraska resident Daniel Krim in Sarpy County, Nebraska, by foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and by the Ausman Law firm of Omaha.

High profile foodborne illness attorney William Marler will deliver a keynote address to the 75th annual gathering of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI) on Wednesday, May 6.  One of conference’s focus topics is Global Impacts on Health, to which Mr. Marler will speak.

A lawsuit stemming from a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella-tainted sprouts was filed today in the Tenth District Court for Sarpy County, Nebraska.  Bellevue resident Daniel Krim, one of 121 people sickened in the February-March 2009 outbreak, is represented by foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and by the Ausman Law firm of Omaha.

Clifford Tousignant, father, grandfather, and decorated veteran of the Korean War, died in January, 2009, after eating Salmonella-contaminated peanut butter served in the retirement home where he lived in Brainerd, MN.  His family, represented by foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and Minneapolis-based Jardine, Logan, & O’Brien, filed suit against Kanan Enterprises, the makers of King Nut peanut butter.  The complaint was filed Monday in US District Court, District of Minnesota.

Marler Clark filed a second lawsuit today against CW Sprouts, the company tied to the recent Salmonella outbreak associated with alfalfa sprouts.  The suit, which was filed in the Tenth District Court of Nebraska, Douglas County, is on behalf of Omaha resident Amanda Monastersky.  The Ausman Law Firm, an Omaha area firm, is also representing the plaintiff. 

The first lawsuit stemming from a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul was filed today against CW sprouts in the Tenth District Court of Nebraska, Douglas County.  The complaint was filed on behalf of Omaha resident Stephen Beumler, who is represented by Seattle foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark and by the Ausman Law firm of Omaha.

Denis Stearns will address the Fresh & Easy Technical Conference being held March 26 in Manhattan Beach, CA.  Quality assurance, product development, and technical personnel from the company’s private-label suppliers will attend the company conference. 

Drew Falkenstein will address the Virginia Department of Health’s conference titled “Recalls and the Lessons That we Have Learned” on Thursday, March 26 in Richmond, Virginia.  The conference has been put together by the Virginia Food Safety Task Force. 

As the Salmonella outbreak traced to tainted peanut products continued to grow, one family filed suit against The Kellogg Company, manufacturer of the peanut butter cracker sandwich product that made them ill.  The Rector family of Blaine, Washington filed suit on Friday in the United States District Court, Western District of Washington.  The family is represented by Seattle foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark.

Bill Marler’s popular blog on food safety, foodborne illness, and food policy was honored by PR News as best blog in the Legal PR awards. 

Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)—the peanut processor responsible for a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium—has filed for bankruptcy protection, but attorney Bill Marler is working to change that.  His firm, Seattle foodborne illness powerhouse Marler Clark, is moving to lift the stay of bankruptcy so that litigation on behalf of victims can continue.

Marler Clark filed a Salmonella lawsuit on behalf of two Minneapolis children sickened by Salmonella-tainted peanut butter snacks.  The lawsuit was filed against Peanut Corporation of America and the Kellogg Company in the US District Court of Georgia, Middle District.

As Congress held a hearing to investigate the practices of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), one of the more than 640 people sickened in the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak traced to their products filed a lawsuit against them.  The lawsuit was filed against PCA and the Kellogg Company in the US District Court of Georgia, Middle District, on behalf of the Hicks family, whose toddler fell ill after eating cracker sandwiches made by Kellogg with product from PCA.  The family is represented by Seattle foodborne illness firm Marler Clark and by Patrick Flynn of Georgia firm Flynn, Peeler & Phillips.

Reports that a large and growing outbreak of highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 linked to Colorado’s largest stock show has led E. coli expert Bill Marler to again urge animal exhibitors to comply with existing safety guidelines. 

Marler Clark has added the Kellogg Company to its lawsuit against the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) and Bill Marler Outlines A Way Forward in Food Safety

Firm Repeatedly Called on Peanut Corporation of America to Pay Medical Bills and Wage Loss
One day after the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) initiated one of the largest food recalls in American history, foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark filed a second lawsuit in the Salmonella outbreak linked to their products.  The lawsuit was filed against PCA in the US District Court of California, Northern District, on behalf of the Trone family of Crescent City, California.  The family is represented by Marler Clark and by Richard Waite of Keeny, Waite, & Stevens.

In light of shocking revelations disclosed by the FDA about the Peanut Corporation of America’s (PCA) Blakey, GA facility, foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark today amended the Federal lawsuit it had filed against PCA to allege punitive damages.  The complaint was filed last week on behalf of Vermont residents Gabrielle and Daryl Meunier, whose son was sickened in the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak tied to peanut butter products manufactured in the PCA plant.

A lawsuit stemming from the national outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium in peanut butter was filed today against the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) in the US District Court, Middle District of Georgia.  The complaint was filed on behalf of Vermont residents Gabrielle and Daryl Meunier, whose son was sickened in the outbreak.  The minor and his parents are represented by Seattle lawyer William Marler and foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark, and by Patrick Flynn of Flynn, Peeler & Phillips of Albany, GA.

Seattle food safety advocate and attorney Bill Marler is calling on the FDA to request recalls of foods containing peanut butter products manufactured in the Peanut Corporation of America’s (PCA) Blakely, GA plant.  Tests have shown that product produced in the facility carries the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium, which has sickened at least 453 people in 43 states and Canada and may have contributed to six deaths.

The source of the outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium that has sickened at least 400 and may have contributed to one death has been identified in Minnesota as King Nut peanut butter.  Peanut butter tainted with salmoenlla was tested by the Minnesota Health Department. The product is suspected as the source of the nation-wide illnesses, which began showing up in September 2008 and have been documented in 42 states.

Bill Marler, food safety advocate and managing partner of foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark, asked the food safety community to weigh in on the most pressing food safety challenges for the coming year.  As with the “Top Ten Food Safety Stories of 2008”, there was no shortage of contenders.

Food safety advocate and attorney Bill Marler (of Seattle foodborne illness powerhouse Marler Clark) polled his wide range of contacts in the food safety community, and assembled a list of the top ten food safety stories of 2008.  Comments can be read (and made) at http://www.marlerblog.com.

At least 14 E. coli illnesses are reported in Washington State, where officials are still working to find the source of the infections.  Ten are sick in Vermont, traced to contaminated beef, and an outbreak in Ontario, Canada has made at least 159 ill.  In September, an outbreak that sickened more than 45 people in Michigan, Illinois, and Canada was traced to contaminated lettuce.  Also in September, 17 illnesses in Colorado were traced to a restaurant, but no ingredient has yet been targeted as the culprit.  And this is the off-season.

Another E. coli lawsuit was filed today against Detroit-based Aunt Mid’s Produce in the aftermath of a lettuce-borne outbreak linked to the company.  The complaint was filed in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court on behalf of a University of Michigan senior sickened in the outbreak.  The plaintiff is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle food borne illness law firm, and by Michael Heilmann of the Detroit-area firm Counard and Heilmann. 

The E. coli illnesses of ten Vermont residents have been traced tainted beef from the Vermont Livestock, Slaughter, and Processing Company in Ferrisburgh.  The USDA has recalled 2,758 pounds of ground beef from the company, and has put out warnings for consumers. 

A University of Colorado student infected with E. coli O157:H7 filed suit yesterday in the District Court of Boulder County.  The petition was filed on behalf of CU sophomore and Boulder resident Katie Pendelton.  Ms. Pendelton is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle foodborne illness law firm, and by Kara Knowles of the Denver-area firm Montgomery, Little, Soran & Murray.

CLARIFICATION:  The Michigan Health Department has linked illnesses to lettuce produced by Aunt Mid’s produce.  To date, no left-over lettuce has tested positive for the E. coli bacteria.

The first lawsuit stemming from a recent lettuce-borne E. coli outbreak was filed today in the Circuit Court for Ingham County, Michigan against Aunt Mid’s Produce.  The petition was filed on behalf of Michigan State University (MSU) student and East Lansing resident Samantha Steffen.  Ms. Steffen is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle food borne illness law firm, and by Michael Heilmann of the Detroit-area firm Counard & Heilmann. 

At least 40 confirmed cases of the infection with the highly toxic pathogen E. coli O157:H7 have been linked to commercial bagged lettuce distributed by Aunt Mid’s Produce, but the Detroit-based company refuses to name the supplier of the contaminated product.  Thirty of the illnesses are in Michigan; the others have been documented in Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Oregon.

Jansen Saunders, a 10-year-old boy who attended Boy Scout camp in July, continues to recover from the E. coli O157:H7 infection he contracted there.  Fredrick and Jennifer Saunders of Loudoun, Virginia filed suit along with their son on Friday in the Circuit Court of Rockbridge County.  The lawsuit was filed against S & S Foods LLC, which supplied the camp with frozen hamburger patties.  The plaintiffs are represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness, and Maryland attorney William Schladt of Ward & Klein.

Food Safety Attorney, William Marler, Gives History Lesson.
“E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with lettuce or spinach, specifically the “pre-washed” and “ready-to-eat” varieties sold under various brand and trade names, are by no means a new phenomenon,” according to food-safety attorney, William D. Marler, of Marler Clark. 

Tri-tip beef served at a September 6 fundraiser for the Forest Ranch, CA volunteer fire department has been cited as the probable cause of an outbreak of toxic E. coli O157:H7.  At least 18 have fallen ill, four of whom required hospitalization.  Many meat-related E. coli outbreaks are traced back to ground beef, but the fundraiser served tri-tip, which has its own, lesser known, history of problems.

William Marler, food safety advocate and expert in foodborne illness litigation, will speak at the China International Food Safety Conference and Expo on Wednesday, September 24 at 4:30 p.m.  His lecture, titled “How U.S. Consumers Hold Producers liable: A Civil Litigation Lesson in the U.S. Market” will be presented at the Landmark Hotel and Towers, 8 North Dongsanhuan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 1000004. 

An outbreak of the highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 has sickened at least ten students at MSU in Lansing.  All of the students experienced bloody diarrhea, a flag indicator of E. coli infection, and each sought medical care at Sparrow Hospital.  Seven remain hospitalized.

A Boy Scout who was infected by E. coli O157:H7 while attending camp in Virginia filed suit today in the Circuit Court of Rockbridge County.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Zachary Yost and his mother, Devon Drew, against S & S Foods LLC.  The plaintiffs are represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness, and Maryland attorney Benson Klein of Ward & Klein.

Thirteen people—nine in Washington and four in Oregon—have been infected with Salmonella Typhimurium from eating alfalfa sprouts.  The illnesses have been traced back to Sprouters Northwest, Inc in Kent, WA, which has voluntarily recalled the product and stopped distributing it.  Consumers are advised not to purchase or eat any Sprouters Northwest products containing alfalfa sprouts, and to discard or return any of the products they may have in their homes.

The food borne illness outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma that has sickened more than 115, hospitalized 50 and taken one life is the latest emergence of the virulent and highly toxic E. coli bacterium.  Most E. coli outbreaks in North America are subtypes of E. coli O157:H7, but the CDC has just revealed that this outbreak is a rare serotype: E. coli 0111.

A food borne illness outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma has sickened as many as 30 and taken one life.  Although lab results are not in, signs point to the highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 bacteria as the culprit.  Many of the ill have eaten at the same restaurants, and leads are being followed to determine the source.  In the last two years, more than 40 million pounds of meat have been recalled due to contamination with E. coli O157:H7, and outbreaks have also been traced to leafy greens. [Note - as of 8/27, there are 40 illnesses and 17 hospitalizations.]

An ambitious and well-meaning attempt to make California’s dairy products safer arrives this week in the California Assembly in the form of State Bill 201—but the country’s top food safety advocates are calling on California legislators to vote against it.  The bill places regulations on producers of raw milk dairy products and lays groundwork intended to stem the tide of deadly food borne illnesses tied to the raw milk industry.  It sounds good, and may have enough support to reach the Governor’s desk, where the same advocates encourage a veto.  What’s the problem?

A victim of the June 2008 lettuce E. coli outbreak in Thurston and Pierce counties filed suit today in the Superior Court of Washington, King County.  Heather Whybrew of Federal Way, Washington was a student at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland when she was infected with E. coli O157:H7.  The lawsuit was filed against Northwest Fruit and Produce Inc and “John Does,” Growers, Shippers and Suppliers by attorney William Marler and Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness.

A second Georgia lawsuit arising from E. coli tainted meat sourced from Nebraska Beef Ltd. was filed Friday (8/8/08), just as the beef processing company recalled another 1.2 million pounds of contaminated meat, bringing the total recalled in the last thirty days to over 6 million pounds.  The complaint was filed against Nebraska Beef Ltd. in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Valdosta Division on behalf of Lillie Ruth and Theron Richter of Colquitt County, GA.  The plaintiffs are represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness, and by Albany attorney F. Faison Middleton, IV of Watson, Spence, Lowe & Chambless, LLP.

In just a year and a half, the American meat industry has experienced a whiplash of beef recalls.  40 million pounds of meat tainted with highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 has been publicly recalled, up by a staggering factor of two hundred from the 2006 amount of only 181,900 pounds.

An outbreak of the highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 at a Boy Scout camp in Goshen, Virginia is the latest statistic in an alarming increase in E. coli in the US.  Since the spring of 2007, more than 40 million tons of contaminated beef have been recalled, hundreds have been sickened, and some of the ill are fighting for their lives.  The Goshen outbreak has confirmed 14 illnesses with 10 hospitalizations, but as many as 70 may be sick. 

An outbreak of the highly toxic strain of E. coli O157:H7 in the Boston area appears to be part of a multi-state outbreak that has sickened more than 50 people in seven states.  The E. coli in the six confirmed illnesses in Boston has the same genetic fingerprint as the illnesses in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, New York, Georgia, and Utah.  Those illnesses have been traced to contaminated beef from Nebraska Beef, Ltd. of Omaha.

The first lawsuit stemming from the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 1319 people, hospitalized 255 and caused the death of 2 in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada was filed today in the District Court of Montezuma County, Colorado.  The complaint was filed on behalf of Delores, Colorado resident Brian Grubbs against Wal-Mart and an unknown supplier, referred to as “John Doe”.  Mr. Grubbs is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness, and by Colorado attorney David Woodruff of Hillyard, Wahlberg, Kudla & Sloane.

A lawsuit was filed yesterday in the Circuit Court for Barry County, Missouri against Soni Copeland and the Herb Depot and Organic Market.  The petition was filed on behalf of Monett residents Brian and Angela Pedersen and their young son, Larry.  The Pedersen family is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness, and by Aleshire, Robb, and Sivils of Springfield, Missouri.

Food safety advocate and attorney William Marler is calling on the Meat Industry and the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) to make the inspection reports from meat processing facilities visible and easily available to the public so that consumers—in including grocery stores and restaurants—can make informed choices on which products they want to purchase.

RE: Food Safety in the United States
Dear U.S. Congress Member:
I am writing to you because the American people are losing confidence in the U.S. government’s ability to keep our food supply safe.

The first Georgia lawsuit stemming from national E. coli outbreak linked to seven states was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Valdosta Division against Nebraska Beef Limited.  The complaint was filed on behalf of Evelyn and John M. Stewart of Moultrie, GA, who are represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness, and by Albany attorney F. Faison Middleton, IV of Watson, Spence, Lowe & Chambless, LLP.

As investigating health authorities grapple with the extent of the Nebraska Beef outbreak, more victims are asserting claims against the meat company.  The recent filing occurred today in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, on behalf of Pickerington , OH resident Dawn Grieves, who was infected with the toxic E. coli strain O157:H7 after eating ground beef processed by Nebraska Beef Ltd.  The plaintiff is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle firm that specializes in E. coli suits, and by Nicholas Philips of the Cleveland area firm of Phillips, Mille and Constabile.

The widening cluster of E. coli O157:H7 infections in Georgia may be linked to an outbreak E. coli illnesses in Ohio and Michigan.  The Moultrie Observer and WALB report that preliminary testing has linked the Georgia cases to the 41 in Ohio and Michigan, which have been traced back to beef products from Nebraska Beef Ltd. of Omaha. 

In a press release issued today, Nebraska Beef attempted to downplay the seriousness of its recall of over 265 tons of ground beef, beef chuck, other beef products because of possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.  It claims “The Company has processed over 10 billion pounds of product without a confirmed customer illness.”  Nebraska Beef’s press release does not define what it considers a “confirmed customer illness,” but it does not appear to be the same standard that the USDA and the CDC used in deciding to press for the Class I Recall, based on “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”  See USDA Recall Release, 022-2008, June 30, 2008

The first E. coli lawsuit stemming from the Ohio and Michigan E. Coli outbreak was filed today in the Court of Common Pleas in Franklin County, OH against Kroger and its as yet unidentified meat supplier (“John Doe”). [An amended complaint naming Nebraska Beef Ltd was filed on July 2, 2008.] The complaint was filed on behalf of a New Albany resident who was infected with the toxic E. coli strain O157:H7 after eating ground beef purchased from a Dublin, Ohio Kroger.  The plaintiff is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness, and by Nicholas Philips of the Cleveland area firm of Phillips, Mille and Constabile.

With the Michigan State Health Department linking Kroger ground beef to many of the illnesses in Michigan (which have also been linked to illnesses in Ohio), Kroger must recall all possibly contaminated ground beef and tell the public who supplied it, said Seattle food safety attorney William D. Marler.

The search for the source of salmonella-tainted tomatoes that have sickened at least 613 people in 33 states has been powered by genetic fingerprinting – the technology that allows public health investigators to go beyond serotyping to identify clusters of illness.  PFGE—pulsed-field gel electrophoresis—is the testing process used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health laboratories to analyze the DNA of bacterium.  Specimens with indistinguishable DNA are said to share a common ancestry.  When combined with epidemiological information, PFGE analysis has proven to be a powerful tool in outbreak detection.

A third hepatitis A lawsuit was filed today against Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., in San Diego County Superior Court.  The complaint was filed on behalf of two Santee residents, Nick Sowter and Shannon Jacobs (husband and wife).  Both were infected with hepatitis A after eating food from the Chipotle Grill in La Mesa, California, in March and April 2008.  The couple is represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of food borne illness, and Keeney, Waite, & Stevens, a San Diego area firm.

The CDC, public health officials in 28 states,  and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working together on an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human salmonella serotype saintpaul infections linked to the consumption of raw tomatoes.  According to food borne illness attorney William Marler, this isn’t the first time tomatoes are the source of salmonella infections.

Accomplished foodborne illness attorney R. Drew Falkenstein is a featured speaker at the Alabama Environmental Health Association (AEHA) Annual Education Conference being held this week in Florence.  Mr. Falkenstein will present You Break It, You Bought it: Incentivising Food Safety by Making Restaurants Reimburse Outbreak Costs on Thursday, June 19 at 9:35 a.m. at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center, 10 Hightower Place in Florence.

Bruce Clark, accomplished personal injury lawyer and expert in foodborne illness litigation, will speak at the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IAMA) World Forum and Symposium.  Mr. Clark will be speaking on Tuesday, June 17 at 2:00 p.m., in a panel titled Managing Food Safety and Health Concerns.  The conference is being held at the Hyatt Regency Monterey, 1 Old Golf Course Road in Monterey. 

William Marler, food safety advocate and expert in foodborne illness litigation, will speak at the Inaugural British Food Journal Annual Lecture on Tuesday, 17 June from 11:00 a.m.  His lecture, titled “Caused Food Poisoning?  See You in Court” will be presented at the Royal Institute of Public Health, 28 Portland Place, London W1B 1DE.  On Wednesday, 18 June, Mr. Marler will speak at the Food Network Wales/United Kingdom Association for Food Protection (UKAFP) Conference at the Village Hotel, 29 Pendwyallt Rd, Cardiff CF14.

The CDC, public health officials in several states, the Indian Health Service, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working together on an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human salmonella serotype saintpaul infections linked to the consumption of tomatoes.  According to food borne illness attorney William Marler, this isn’t the first time tomatoes are the source of salmonella infections.

Ten confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection found in north Thurston and south Pierce counties have been traced to bagged, commercial romaine lettuce, commonly used in food service (not sold retail).  The Washington State Health Department says four cases of infection with the highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 were identified in Thurston County, and six in Pierce County.  Some of the victims were hospitalized.  All eaten salad at different locations, indicating that those locations probably got their lettuce from a single source.