Being at the office on a Saturday allows for a bit of catch up after a week of traveling (and hand surgery).  Today is a day to double-check that all the t’s are crossed and i’s dotted in finalizing the Listeria Cantaloupe Litigation.  After three years, five months and one day, I am glad for all concerned that the litigation is behind.  My hope is that the lessons learned will translate into far fewer future outbreaks; because regardless of the settlement, no amount of money changes the fact that nearly forty people needlessly died and a hundred more were injured, many permanently.  An added bonus to the quiet in the office is this email I just received from one of those clients:

I wanted to send an email to say Thank You for all of the hard work and patience that you and your staff gave me and my family.  I hope that we didn’t call or email too much during this process.  This was a new experience for my family since we haven’t been involved in a lawsuit before.
 
The reason we initially contacted you was because I wanted to do something, anything about my father passing away before it was his time.  I didn’t know if we had a valid claim or if anyone cared about my father passing away.  I also knew that if I didn’t do something that someday I would regret it when someone would ask “What did you do about your dad dying from Listeria?”
 
Thank you for the closure.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for answering all my emails.
Thank you for answering all my phone calls.
 
Please continue to fight for food safety.

Its why I work Saturdays.