Dole Spinach Settlement Talks Continue
As Dawn Withers of the Salinas Californian wrote this morning, “E. coli cases at talk stage,” I am actually in Salt Lake City meeting with representatives from Dole, Natural Selection Foods and Mission Organic and their insurers to talk about resolving several cases involving Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. As Dawn wrote:
Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney handling the cases of people made ill from tainted spinach, said 51 cases have been settled and another 21 are pending. Six will be the focus of the negotiations this week, he said Wednesday.
“We’ve been working through them, and it hasn’t been without controversy,” Marler said.
Marler said the negotiations for monetary compensation, which are confidential, are complex because some his clients face kidney transplants in the future and lifelong complications from kidney damage caused by the bacteria in the tainted spinach.
“We’re trying to figure out what the right amount of money is to compensate a 4-year-old who will lose her kidneys,” he said.
We in fact were able to resolve all six of the cases today in spite of much gnashing of teeth. I had a quick chat today with the FOODSNARK about Spinach, E. coli and life in general.
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