Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : Bill Marler : Marler Clark

Grandmother Bonnie Bartley is suing the Golden Corral, after she and her 4-year-old granddaughter became extremely ill from the lunch they ate there on August 17.

Allison B. Luster, 4, of Marietta, was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital's emergency room Aug. 23 with bloody stools, constant vomiting and severe stomach pain. She also developed a severe fever and dehydration and lost one-seventh of her body weight.

As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported:

"This little girl was really sick, requiring extensive antibiotic treatment and a week in the hospital," Marler said in a telephone interview. "The restaurant should step up and do the right thing, compensating victims for what they've gone through."

Bartley experienced milder symptoms the day after eating at Golden Corral, Marler said, but she did not seek immediate medical attention. The girl is still being monitored for stomach problems, he said.

The lawsuit demands that the restaurant compensate the plaintiffs for medical bills, attorney fees and any other fees the court may deem appropriate.

The establishment is one of a dozen Golden Corrals in the metro area owned by Charles Winston. He voluntarily closed the restaurant Sept. 9 while state health officials scrutinized it for a source of contamination. Equipment and surfaces were once again thoroughly scrubbed and sanitized.

18 cases of salmonella berta infections between early June and late August were linked to the Golden Corral just west of Town Center mall, the Georgia Division of Public Health said last week. One person with underlying health conditions died.

Although previous health inspections Aug. 21 and 22 turned up no trace of the bacteria, the bacteria was found in a floor drain last week.

Other patrons of the restaurant who claim they were sickened at the Golden Corral are considering litigation.

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As Clint Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported yesterday, It's been a rough year for Cindy Horney. Ten days of fever, nausea and diarrhea were only the beginning. The case of salmonella food poisoning triggered a case of Reiter syndrome, an uncommon form of arthritis. Intense pain in her hips made it hard to walk and sleep. Cindy Horney is one of seven people on behalf of whom Marler Clark has filed lawsuits against Golden Corral restaurants.

The plaintiffs hope to settle the cases through mediation as early as October. "Litigation is expensive, and if you can resolve these things without going through the court system it's better for everyone involved," he said. Marler recently settled a case in which victims of a 2002 salmonella outbreak linked to a Michigan bakery collected $3,000 to $80,000 each.

Cindy Horney is one of at least 23 people stricken last year in an outbreak of salmonellosis linked to the Golden Corral buffet restaurant on Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw. The Georgia Division of Public Health a year ago today announced that from early June through late August 2003, a total of 23 people were infected with the bacteria salmonella berta. Of those 23 confirmed cases, 18 had links to the Golden Corral just west of Town Center mall.

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Marler Clark is filing a lawsuit against the Golden Corral restaurant on behalf of a Marietta woman. She and her 4-year-old granddaughter were sickened with salmonella after eating lunch there this month. Bonnie Bartley's symptoms began the day after eating at the Golden Corral on August 17, but she wasn't as sick as her 4-year-old granddaughter Allison Luster.

The same day we filed the lawsuit, the Golden Corral in Kennesaw reopened.

As I said in a recent press release:

"This is not the first time a Golden Corral restaurant has been linked to a foodborne illness outbreak. In 1999 Marler Clark sued the Golden Corral in Kearney, Nebraska, on behalf of victims of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. "

"In addition to representing Ms. Bartley, we have been contacted by several other victims in this outbreak," said William Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. "All of these people consumed food they believed was wholesome and unadulterated only to ultimately pay the price for eating at Golden Corral. The restaurant should step up, and do the right thing, compensating victims for what they've gone through."

The restaurant owner's lawyer, Tom Carlock, said the restaurant received a "a clean bill of health" from state officials this week.

"We got a perfect 100 score recently, and the health department came out here and checked all the employees for salmonella and all were cleared," Carlock said.

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Grandmother Bonnie Bartley is suing the Golden Corral, after she and her 4-year-old granddaughter became extremely ill from the lunch they ate there on August 17.

Allison B. Luster, 4, of Marietta, was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital's emergency room Aug. 23 with bloody stools, constant vomiting and severe stomach pain. She also developed a severe fever and dehydration and lost one-seventh of her body weight.

As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported:

"This little girl was really sick, requiring extensive antibiotic treatment and a week in the hospital," Marler said in a telephone interview. "The restaurant should step up and do the right thing, compensating victims for what they've gone through."

Bartley experienced milder symptoms the day after eating at Golden Corral, Marler said, but she did not seek immediate medical attention. The girl is still being monitored for stomach problems, he said.

The lawsuit demands that the restaurant compensate the plaintiffs for medical bills, attorney fees and any other fees the court may deem appropriate.

The establishment is one of a dozen Golden Corrals in the metro area owned by Charles Winston. He voluntarily closed the restaurant Sept. 9 while state health officials scrutinized it for a source of contamination. Equipment and surfaces were once again thoroughly scrubbed and sanitized.

18 cases of salmonella berta infections between early June and late August were linked to the Golden Corral just west of Town Center mall, the Georgia Division of Public Health said last week. One person with underlying health conditions died.

Although previous health inspections Aug. 21 and 22 turned up no trace of the bacteria, the bacteria was found in a floor drain last week.

Other patrons of the restaurant who claim they were sickened at the Golden Corral are considering litigation.

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