Outbreak News
E. coli lawsuit filed against Carneco in connection with Sam’s Club Outbreak
September 24 2004MINNEAPOLIS—Marler Clark, the Seattle foodborne illness attorneys, filed a lawsuit Thursday on behalf of nine-year-old Eagan resident, Joseph Blair, who suffered from an E. coli O157:H7 infection after eating an E. coli-contaminated hamburger produced by Carneco and sold by Sam’s Club. The lawsuit, which was filed in Dakota County District Court, names Carneco Foods as defendant. Co-counsel in the case is Joseph Flynn of Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
Carneco recalled approximately 497,000 pounds of frozen ground beef and beef patties on August 3, after the USDA confirmed a link from ground beef produced at Carneco on June 21 to five ill individuals in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including Joseph Blair. The lawsuit asks that Joseph and his parents, Jim and Jane Blair, be compensated for medical and medical-related expenses, lost wages, and other damages related to Joseph’s E. coli infection.
“Under the law, Carneco had a duty to produce ground beef that was fit for human consumption,” said William Marler, attorney for the Blairs. “A product contaminated with a deadly pathogen is hardly fit for human consumption.”
Continue reading about the E. coli lawsuit filed against Carneco on the Marler Clark Website.
More on this outbreak: Carneco and Sam’s Club E. coli Outbreak