A husband and wife from Memphis who organized and attended a family reunion catered by A&R Bar-B-Q restaurant of Hickory Hill Road in Memphis filed a lawsuit today in Shelby County Circuit Court alleging that the food was contaminated with Salmonella, infecting the man with food poisoning.

Toby and Shandalin Taylor are represented in the lawsuit by national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen, P.A., of Minneapolis. The suit alleges that Toby Taylor is one of more than 24 individuals whom health officials say contracted salmonellosis. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor helped stage the 2009 Harston Family Reunion, which included an A&R-catered picnic July 10 at Shelby Farms Park.

According to the lawsuit, filed by local counsel Jason Whitworth, the menu for the approximately 150 attendees included pork shoulder, chicken, BBQ spaghetti, coleslaw and bread. The exact cause of the outbreak is being investigated by the Tennessee Department of Health and the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department. Toby Taylor was among the sickened attendees whose stool tested positive for Salmonella after he was taken to the hospital to be treated for severe stomach cramps, fever, chills and dehydration from diarrhea.

"This case points to the tragedy of foodborne illness - a joyful event marred by sickness and a business facing significant loss,'' said Fred Pritzker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen. "There are no winners, only losers.''

The lawsuit alleges negligence and recklessness on the part of the restaurant, which closed for health department review and retraining of workers after public health investigators began to probe complaints from Taylor and others in his extended family. The suit also alleges that the Salmonella contamination violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.

"The defendant had a duty to ensure that its food products were prepared, handled and served according to safe food-handling practices in order to avoid the spread of food borne infectious agents such as Salmonella,'' the lawsuit said.

For more information, individuals may contact Fred Pritzker at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or email Mr. Pritzker at fhp@pritzkerlaw.com. Pritzker Olsen is one of the few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm is involved as an advocate for victims in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning, including the peanut product Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak late last year and early this year that killed nine people and sickened more than 700.

That outbreak prompted passage this week in the U.S. House of Representatives of sweeping food safety reform. In the peanut product outbreak, Pritzker is representing the families of three women who died from the outbreak strain of Salmonella.


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Media Contact: Fred Pritzker, cell phone 651-592-3733; office 1-888-377-8900 or email fhp@pritzkerlaw.com.

Labels: Bar-B-Q, lawyer, salmonella outbreak lawsuit

The A & R Bar-B-Q restaurant on Hickory Hill Road in Memphis is under investigation by public health officials in connection with illnesses reported July 10 and 11.

Labels: Bar-B-Q, class action lawsuit, Memphis Salmonella

Our law firm has been retained to represent victims of a Salmonella outbreak in Memphis, TN that started on or after July 10, 2009. The outbreak victims were attending the 2009 Harston Family Reunion in Memphis. More than 150 family members from around the country were in Memphis for the three-day reunion that included a picnic on July 10 at Shelby Farms Park catered by A&R Bar-B-Q, 3721 Hickory Hill Road, among other activities.

Attendees began exhibiting symptoms consisting of diarrhea, stomach cramps, chills and fever starting on July 11. A number of the victims provided stool tests that later tested positive for Salmonella.

The Tennessee Department of Health is investigating the outbreak to determine its source.

The outbreak may have also sickened people who did not attend the Harston Family Reunion. If you have been diagnosed with a Salmonella infection (salmonellosis), please contact us for a free consultation. We are not paid unless you win.

Our lawyers have a national reputation and have appeared on CBS and Fox discussing food litigation and food safety. They have also been interviewed by The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and others.

Labels: salmonella lawyer, salmonella outbreak lawsuit

The medical center that diagnosed a McDonald's employee with hepatitis A failed to make a timely report of the infectious disease to public health officials -- a "human error" that contributed to the Illinois McDonald's hepatitis outbreak in the Quad City border metropolis.

Labels: Campylobacter, class action lawsuit, hepatitis lawyer, Milan

King Soopers Inc. of Denver has recalled 466,236 pounds of ground beef products sold in retail after state and federal health investigators associated the meat with a Colorado Salmonella outbreak that has infected at least 14 people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has identified the type of bacteria in the outbreak as Salmonella Typhimurium DT104.

King Soopers belongs to the Kroger Co. family of grocery stores and the recalled beef was sold in retail stores in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the products were sold between May 23 and June 23 of this year. While investigators believe the meat has all been sold by retailers, many consumers who bought it may have put it in the freezer for storage.

With that much ground beef being recalled, it would seem possible for other cases of Salmonella to be confirmed.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys would like to help anyone who has been victimized in this outbreak by eating ground beef distributed by King Soopers and becoming ill. Our lawyers are deeply experienced in foodborne illness litigation and we are representing survivors of Salmonella poisoning around the country.

An attorney is prepared to help you if you call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), or complete an online form to receive a free case consultation. Our firm has recovered tens of millions for victims of Salmonella and other diseases stemming from adulterated food.

The list of ground beef products recalled by King Soopers includes the following. They bear the USDA establishment number "Est. 6250" and were produced May 23-June 23:

• 1-pound chubs of 93/7 ground beef


• 1- to 1.25-pound tray packs of 96/4 ground beef


• 1- to 1.25-pound tray packs of 93/7 ground beef


• 2.5- to 3-pound tray packs of 93/7


• 6-pack trays of 93.7 ground beef patties

Labels: Colorado, Colorado E coli, salmonella outbreak

Health officials involved in the Illinois McDonald's hepatitis A outbreak investigation have acknowledged that restaurant employees have been a focus of the probe. Now one of the Milan, Illinois, McDonald's employees has told a local television station that she was diagnosed with the disease in mid-June and informed her McDonald's manager of her illness on June 25. But the restaurant didn't close until last week, raising questions about who knew what and when. National food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker explores the circumstances as part of his latest opinion piece. Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is currently accepting cases from the Illinois McDonald's outbreak. To reach a hepatitis lawyer at the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete an online form to receive a free case consultation from an attorney.

By Fred Pritzker

I represent survivors of foodborne illness including clients sickened with hepatitis A at restaurants.

Hep A is an acute liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV) that lasts from a few weeks to several months. Although it does not lead to chronic infection, it causes significant and debilitating symptoms and requires precautionary measures to prevent its spread to family members.

In a restaurant setting, Hep A is transmitted by consuming food or drinks contaminated with fecal matter. This usually occurs when a restaurant worker sickened with Hep A goes to work while still contagious and fails to properly wash his/her hands while preparing food served to paying customers like you.

In most cases, this is an utterly preventable disease. Workers exhibiting symptoms of Hep A should not work until cleared by a physician. Restaurant managers should not allow symptomatic employees on the premises.

Thus, it's particularly distressing to see reports of a Hep A outbreak involving a Milan, Illinois, McDonald's in which an estimated 10,000 patrons have been potentially exposed to the virus. Worse, according to WQAD-TV of the Quad Cities, a McDonald's employee diagnosed with hepatitis A told her manager at McDonald's of her diagnosis on June 25. Despite this, the restaurant giant claims it didn't learn of the diagnosis until July 13, following which the restaurant was closed.

I've recently written about proposed new food safety rules designed to reduce the incidence and severity of foodborne illness outbreaks -- including this one it would seem. Generally speaking they are not due to bad policies and procedures but rather gross failure to properly enforce them.

McDonald's is one of the best run food companies in the world. Its employee handbooks specifically instruct employees to:

• Call in if you are ill. Don't come to work when you are sick, such as a with a severe cold or you are suffering from diarrhea or vomiting. You are at a higher risk for transferring bacteria to food or others.
• If you start to feel ill, tell your manager. Good health is important throughout your shift. You are as at a higher risk for transferring bacteria to food or others.

But all the best policies and procedures won't make a restaurant safe if managers ignore the rules or fail to enforce them. Sadly, the only real incentive is public approbation and financial loss. Apparently, the health of customers is not incentive enough.

Labels: Campylobacter, class action lawsuit, hep outbreak, hepatitis A, hepatitis lawyer, Milan

The hepatitis A outbreak linked to the Milan, Illinois McDonald’s continues to grow with 20 people now diagnosed with hepatitis A. Eleven of them were hospitalized.

The Milan McDonald’s outbreak was allegedly caused by food handlers at the restaurant who were infected with the virus. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, one of the infected employees worked on seven days in July and the other one was diagnosed in June but not reported until July 13.

Hepatitis A is spread through the fecal matter of infected persons. In this case, the infected food handlers allegedly did not wash their hands well enough after having a bowel movement and then touched food that was consumed by McDonald’s patrons.

Restaurants are liable to patrons for illnesses, including hepatitis, caused by food provided by the restaurant. This means that those sickened with hepatitis A after eating at the Milan McDonald’s may have claims for compensation. Compensation for hepatitis A infections depends on the facts and may include the following:

• Medical expenses
• Lost income
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disability
• Loss of quality of life
  

Hepatitis A can cause death. In those cases, the families have wrongful death claims against the party responsible for the illness.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this outbreak, please contact our law firm. We have handled hepatitis A cases and have a national reputation in the area of food poisoning litigation.

Note: For those who ate at the Milan McDonald’s and have not been diagnosed with hepatitis A, the Rock Island County Health Department, with assistance from IPHMAS and the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) and the Illinois Nurse Volunteer Emergency Needs Team (INVENT), is providing free vaccines and immune globulin shots tomorrow, Tuesday July 21, 2009 (vaccines and shots were also administered today):

When: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Additional clinics will be held if needed.
Where: Rock Island High School
1400 25th Avenue, Rock Island, IL
What: Hepatitis A vaccinations and immune globulin will be administered at no charge.
Who: Eligible recipients are those with the following criteria:
Consumed food or beverages at McDonald’s Restaurant in Milan, IL
**** From July 6 through July 10 and July 13 and 14, 2009****
Those eating on July 11 and 12 were not exposed
Those who consumed products from this restaurant during this time period will receive either hepatitis A vaccine or immune globulin, not both.
• Ages 1-40 years will receive hepatitis A vaccine
• Under one year of age , and over 40 years of age will receive immune globulin
If the person has previously received two doses of hepatitis A vaccine, no further immunization or immune globulin is necessary – they are already protected from hepatitis A. In addition, if someone has been ill in the past from hepatitis A, they would not become ill from it again – their body would have developed immunity. If a person receives this vaccine/ immune globulin more than 14 days after they have eaten at Milan McDonald’s, it may not provide protection.

Labels: hepatitis A, lawyer, McDonalds

A possible Illinois McDonald's hepatitis A outbreak is under investigation with at least 19 confirmed cases, including most of them in Rock Island County.

That's what county officials have told the Quad Cities Times. Rock Island County public health workers will soon be vaccinating certain individuals and giving immune globulin shots to help curtail the outbreak.

Rock Island County Board Chairman Jim Bohnsack told the newspaper that the health department ordered the closure this week of the McDonald's in Milan, Illinois, and its employees were screened for hepatitis A as part of the investigation. The western Illinois McDonald's closed Thursday and had not reopened Friday. Crews were busy cleaning it.

Bohnsack was quoted as saying the county will seek to have McDonald's pay for the hepatitis A shots. Other Illinois counties were there have been confirmed hepatitis A cases are Mercer, Henry, Warren and Woodford

Labels: hepatitis A, McDonalds

A company on the Mexican border has recalled 104 crates of fresh cilantro because Food and Drug Administration inspectors found Salmonella in sample tests.

The 15-pound black plastic crates of the cilantro were sold between July 13 and July 16 by Sweet Superior Fruit Co. of McAllen, Texas. The spice likely was resold to retailers and manufacturers.

Sweet Superior Fruit Co. said no illnesses were reported in connection with the potential contamination. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is interested in helping any possible victims of this contamination. If you believe you have become sick from this product, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.

Salmonella is a bacterium that can sometimes cause serious, even fatal illness in young children, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems. Salmonella symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. In rare circumstances with Salmonella, it can get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illnesses, including endocarditis, arterial infections and arthritis.

Labels: Salmonella recall

The Texas Department of State Health Services is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella that has infected at least 25 people in Caldwell County.

At this point, the cause is not known. Doug McBride, a spokesman for the agency, told the Austin American-Statesman that a few of the victims has been hospitalized. The cluster of illnesses compares to the normal rate of seven to nine cases of Salmonellosis in a year in Caldwell County. Most of the cases are in and around Lockhart.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is representing Salmonella victims nationwide. The firm is involved in practically all major outbreaks of foodborne illness and has collected tens of millions of dollars on behalf of victims of food poisoning. To contact a Salmonella attorney at our firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation from an attorney.

Labels: salmonella lawyer, Texas Salmonella cases