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Recent E. coli Wrongful Death Settlement

Below is a information on a recent E. coli wrongful death settlement negotiated by Pritzker | Olsen, P.A., a leading E. coli litigation law firm. For information about E. coli death liability and other E. coli wrongful death issues, please read E. coli Death: Attorney and Lawsuit.

E. coliIn September 2006 there was a national outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 linked to the consumption of bagged spinach. 205 people were injured and three were killed. The outbreak investigation focused on pre-packaged spinach that was grown on a California ranch, processed and packaged by Natural Selection Foods, LLC in San Juan Bautista, CA, and sold under the Dole brand Baby Spinach.

As one of the leading food safety law firms in the United States, Pritzker | Olsen, P.A. was contacted by a number of outbreak victims including the family of the outbreak’s first fatality, a Wisconsin woman in her seventies. The woman was survived by three adult children and two grandchildren. The case was recently resolved for an undisclosed settlement sum following lengthy negotiations with the defendants and their carriers.

According to lead attorney, Fred Pritzker, the case was noteworthy for many reasons. First, it was a very large and serious outbreak both in terms of the numbers of victims and the geographic spread of the cases. Second, it was the most recent of a large number of outbreaks traced back to pre-packaged produce grown in California’s Salinas Valley. Third, and most importantly, it points to the lack of food safety and regulation involving leafy greens grown in this area and the need for much tighter standards and regulations to prevent these outbreaks from continuing to happen.

In an attempt to head off badly needed government regulation, the industry has since promulgated new, non-binding rules that purport to improve safety. The United States Food and Drug Administration has also proposed new rules, but it is far from clear that such efforts will actually reduce the incidence of foodborne illness associated with leafy green vegetables from this important agricultural area.

Food Safety Lawyer Fred PritzkerAccording to Fred Pritzker, “the problem is severe because of the perfect storm of microbiological factors that allow these outbreaks to continue to happen. Too much food is grown in too close proximity to cattle production areas and feces-laden water. Pre-packaging the produce serves to lock in and mix the deadly pathogens and allows them to spread across the country infecting people thousands of miles away from the source of production. Worse, government regulation of the produce industry is on par with the way the meat industry was regulated in the 1920s. Much needs to be done. I am afraid these outbreaks will continue to occur.”  

To contact Fred Pritzker, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's free case consultation form.


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