In 1993, Jack in the Box suffered a major foodborne illness outbreak involving E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. Four children died of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), hundreds were hospitalized and 600 others were reported sick after eating undercooked patties contaminated with fecal material containing the bacteria at locations in California, Washington, Idaho and Nevada. Brianne Kiner
April 2009
My Daughter – First Woman President? – At Her High School Anyway
The campaign for Student Body President is in full swing at Bainbridge Island High School. If elected, Morgan will be one of the first female presidents. I’ll post on the election outcome.
DO NOT EAT SPROUTS – FDA Tells Consumers on a Sunday Afternoon – Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia Implicated
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts, saying they may be contaminated with Salmonella.
The contamination appears to be in seeds so washing the sprouts may not help, the FDA said in a statement. "Other types of sprouts have…
Thirty-Three Sprout Linked Outbreaks Since 1990 Sicked 2,166
Ben Chapman, over at Bites, published a very complete list of Sprout Outbreaks Since 1990.
Since 1990, raw or slightly cooked sprouts have caused an estimated 2,166 illnesses, through 33 outbreaks (actually – 37 outbreaks, 2,273 illnesses). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that sprout-link outbreaks account for 40 per cent of all food-borne illness associated with produce.
Year Type Pathogen Cases LocationContinue Reading Thirty-Three Sprout Linked Outbreaks Since 1990 Sicked 2,166
Salmonella Sickens 31 in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia – Who Produced Them? Where Were They Sold? FDA is Silent – So Far.
FDA held a call Saturday, April 25 to inform industry (but not consumers) of a forthcoming FDA press release (today or tomorrow?) related to an outbreak of Salmonella SaintPaul linked to alfalfa sprouts – AGAIN. The multi-state outbreak began mid-March and is ongoing. Currently 31 cases in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and…
The Fight for Safe Food – The Facts, Quotes and Opinions of 16 Years of Fighting for Consumers
As one reporter I spoke to last week noted:
The Facts:
The law firm of Marler and Clark has represented victims from every major food borne illness since 1993. Marler has fought for the rights of victims of food-borne illnesses for more than 16 years now and says in that time he has seen no…
Forbes Editor Champions Tort Plaintiffs Lawyers – ABA Reprints
Spoke with Sarah Randag of the ABA last evening after she "shouted out" the Forbes editorial giving a "tip o’ the hat" to what I do. Generally, the ABA tends to look down on the lawyers that represent victims, so perhaps there is a positive trend here?
Editor William Baldwin calls attention to an epidemic…
Off to the “other side of the pond.”
I sat for a few hours in the Atlanta airport last night during a thunder storm so had some time to finish up my PowerPoint for my speech in a few weeks in London before the Royal Society for Public Health. Here is the PowerPoint – there will be two added videos – which one to use?:
Product Liability in England & Wales Continue Reading Off to the “other side of the pond.”
Forbes Interview with Bill Marler
Had a great chat with William Baldwin of Forbes Magazine for his opinion piece – "Needed: Tort Lawyers" – in the last week about the status of our Nation’s food supply. This interview may be a first for Forbes – that did not skin this trial lawyer alive, nor dip me in a vat of boiling ink.
Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, salmonella, listeria–it’s very dangerous to put things in your mouth. Foodborne illness sickens 76 million Americans a year, kills 5,000 and runs up $3 billion in hospital costs. What’s the answer to this epidemic?
One possible solution is more government and more laws. Those familiar with the proclivities of this magazine will not be surprised that I take a dim view of this solution (and, in particular, of the proposed Food Safety Modernization Act, which would bury food preparers in paperwork). No, I would prefer to have the same government and the same laws, but–here’s the surprise–more tort lawyers.
The tort bar has not, on the whole, covered itself with glory. A large fraction of asbestos cases, for instance, are based on quack readings of X-rays. But it’s a different story in the narrow specialty of food-poisoning litigation. There the science is sound. The typical plaintiff is the family of a child whose kidneys and other organs were damaged (in some cases fatally) by an E. coli infection. The link from the culprit food to the injured child is made unmistakable by genetic subtyping. The lawyer’s main task is to argue over how much the kid’s life is worth.
Meet William Marler, a 52-year-old Seattle attorney whose career was launched with a $15.6 million settlement against Jack in the Box. (This victim survived but lost her large intestine.) Sixteen years later he can brag that his firm, Marler Clark, has extracted just shy of half a billion dollars in settlements from food vendors. This suggests cumulative revenues of maybe $150 million for a small firm (seven lawyers, one full-time epidemiologist). But letting lawyers get rich has a nice side effect. The settlements get the attention of food producers. Bill Marler is not shy about using the Web, press releases and Capitol Hill testimony to publicize what he’s doing.Continue Reading Forbes Interview with Bill Marler
Larry King and Stewart Parnell have what in common?
Press coverage for Georgia Trip:
Lawyer To Tour Georgia Plant Linked To Salmonella
News Now Update: Tour of Salmonella Tainted Peanut Plant
Peanut Victims’ Lawyers Visit Blakely Plant
PCA plant conditions ‘disturbing’
Attorney: Mice, leaky roof found at Georgia nut plant
I finally made it into the Blakely, Georgia Peanut Corporation of America plant. Despite…