Pritzker Olsen law firm has been retained to represent a 3 ½ year-old child sickened with E. coli poisoning and hemolytic uremic syndrome. The child is believed to have contracted the illness at a local apple orchard/ petting zoo in the Twin Cities (MN) area.

Preliminary testing indicates that the genetic fingerprint of the E .coli O157:H7 obtained from the child’s stool sample matches the genetic fingerprint of E. coli from llama feces tested at the petting zoo.

Fred Pritzker, a leading E. coli litigation attorney, is representing the child in this outbreak. “It does not appear the operator of this facility took the necessary precautions to prevent this child’s severe injuries."

There may be other victims from this outbreak. Unconfirmed reports indicate that an older person may also have developed E .coli O157:H7 poisoning and hemolytic uremic syndrome after visiting the same apple orchard/petting zoo in the Twin Cities area.

For a free consultation about an E. coli-HUS lawsuit, please call (612)338-0202 or 800-377-8900 (toll free), email Attorney Fred Pritzker, or submit our online consultation form.

Labels: E coli kidney failure, E coli lawyer, lawyers

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is representing Shirley Jane Schultz, one of the victims of a multistate Salmonella outbreak that has been linked to white pepper manufactured by Union International Food Company, according to news reports.

Ms. Schultz, a 77-year-old from Nevada, was severely sickened and spent over a week in the hospital. Loved ones feared she would not survive when her kidneys temporarily shut down. She continues to suffer the effects of the illness.

“While we are still gathering information about what caused the spices made by Union International Food Company to become contaminated with Salmonella, our client’s illness just highlights the ongoing problems in our food safety system,” stated Eric Hageman, Ms. Schultz’s attorney. “People shouldn’t have to guess whether the food they are eating is safe. We should all feel that our food is safe. But that didn’t happen here and, as a result, Shirley Shultz ended up in the hospital. And someone needs to be held accountable.”

Union International Food issued the first spice and pepper recall on March 30, 2009. The recall included Lian How white pepper. Ms. Schultz was diagnosed with Salmonella poisoning on April 9, 2009.

Prior to the March 30 recall, Salmonella was isolated from an open container of Lian How White Pepper, which was found at a restaurant where some outbreak victims ate. Since March 30, additional Union International Food Company products have been recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination. The entire recalled products list is available on the FDA’s website.

Pritzker Olsen has considerable experience and a reputation for success in representing Salmonella outbreak victims and their families. The firm has been involved in virtually every national foodborne illness outbreak and has collected large sums on behalf of people injured or killed by adulterated food. In addition, the firm is devoted to educating the public about food safety issues and advocating for badly needed food safety legislation and increased funding for the federal, state and local agencies charged with protecting our food and enforcing food safety laws.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys are frequent guests and commentators about food safety issues and have been interviewed by and profiled in a number of media sources including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and CNN.

If you have been sickened in this Salmonella outbreak linked to pepper, please contact Pritzker Olsen law firm: 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.

Salmonella Outbreak Pepper Posted May 2009.

Labels: lawsuit, lawyers, pepper recall, salmonella outbreak

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is warning consumers not to eat smoked pork and beef bratwurst make by J&B Meats of Barnesville, Minnesota, with the lot number PBB30306, and Minnesota State Establishment Number 1198. The recalled J&B Meats bratwurst may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially-fatal foodborne pathogen. The contamination was found through routine testing.

J&B Meats sold the bratwurst at its retail store in Barnesville, about 20 miles southeast of Moorhead. J&B Meats is asking consumers to return any recalled bratwurst to the store. However, if someone has eaten any of the bratwurst, it should be kept in the freezer and labeled “Do not eat” for at least 70 days (Listeria incubation period) after the date it was consumed. If the person(s) who ate the recalled bratwurst are diagnosed with a Listeria infection (listeriosis), the recalled bratwurst may be evidence.

According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, there are no reports of illnesses from the product. The sausages are often sold frozen, meaning people who do not hear of this recall could eat the bratwurst months from now.

If you or a family member is diagnosed with Listeria, contact us. We are Minnesota lawyers with extensive experience with Listeria cases. To contact a Minnesota Listeria attorney, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit our free case consultation form.

Posted February 2008.

Labels: lawyers, Listeria lawyer, Minnesota Listeria attorney

There is no excuse for unsafe and dangerous food products. My professional life is dedicated to holding food producers accountable for the harms and losses they cause by selling poisoned food.

But just as food producers must follow laws and regulations, so must lawyers follow their own professional rules when it comes to soliciting food safety survivors for legal representation.

All lawyers, including food safety lawyers, are required to comply with the Rules of Professional Responsibility. These rules specify what a lawyer can and cannot do in soliciting potential clients. For example, many states allow the lawyer to send a potential client a letter about the lawyer’s services, but no state allows a lawyer to directly contact a potential client. That means it is strictly forbidden for a food safety lawyer to call, visit or ask someone else to call or visit a food outbreak survivor in order to seek representation. Some lawyers try to get around this prohibition by sending out investigators or “runners” to contact potential clients under the guise of “providing information” or “offering assistance.” Whatever the alleged reason, direct or indirect contact is forbidden.

Lawyers are also prohibited from offering something of value to potential clients as an inducement for legal representation. Thus, a lawyer cannot offer goods, money, services or even offer to pay the client’s medical bills in order to induce an attorney-client relationship.

Lawyers are also required to put the client’s interests ahead of their own. For example, some lawyers rush out to find clients, so they can be first to file suit. The real purpose of this practice is usually to attract more clients rather than accomplish anything on behalf of the client for whom the suit is filed. Most ethical lawyers believe it is better to first investigate the case, obtain medical records and reports and understand the client’s losses before rushing to file suit and get publicity.

Your case is judged by the conduct of your lawyer. If he/she violates the rules, you should report the lawyer’s conduct to the Board of Professional Responsibility in the state where the lawyer practices.

Everyone – food producers, food distributors, food sellers and food safety lawyers – have to play by the rules.

Fred Pritzker has over three decades of experience representing survivors of foodborne illness and other unlawful conduct. He has collected millions of dollars on behalf of food safety victims. He is also a civil trial specialist certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Please contact Mr. Pritzker for a free case consultation by email (fhp@pritzkerlaw.com) or telephone (toll-free 1-888-377-8900).

Labels: food safety lawyer, lawsuits, lawyers