A not-so-Sunny reminder?

Class Action Lawsuit Filed by Marler Clark re Sun Orchard Orange Juice Salmonella Outbreak

In July of 1999, Marler Clark,filed a nationwide class action lawsuit on behalf of all persons sickened and injured by unpasteurized orange juice contaminated with a rare strain of the Salmonella bacteria. The contaminated juice was manufactured by Sun Orchard.

At the time that lawsuit was filed, Marler Clark had been contacted by over 30 persons in several states with possible claims against Sun Orchard. The named plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Jim and Fiona Jackson, the parents of Ian Jackson, a 4 year old boy who became seriously ill when he drank Sun Orchard orange juice contaminated with Salmonella.

As I said then:

“It’s simply outrageous that, after all we know about the importance of pasteurization, especially after the Odwalla E. coli outbreaks, we still have companies selling unpasteurized fruit juice, and justifying it on the grounds that it’s more flavorful if not pasteurized, and more full of vitamins,” said William Marler, of the Marler Clark law firm. “At a minimum, consumers should be warned of the potential risks of consuming these unpasteurized products. The question is why Sun Orchard did not want a warning label on this product.”

Are we making progress?