Personal Injury Law

Seattle Times Weighs in on Food Safety

Posted on November 23, 2009
Here in Seattle we are down to one major daily, and every once in awhile they step up and do an interesting article or two.  In the Pacific Northwest weekend magazine published by the Times is an article, "The Green Issue:  Our Food, Ourselves," which I can not seem to find online...

I get listed in Best of US - hopefully, that is a good thing.

Posted on October 01, 2009

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) - Another Foodborne Pathogen?

Posted on September 30, 2009
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a spore-forming, gram-positive anaerobic bacillus that produces two toxins: toxin A and toxin B. These toxins typically cause gastrointestinal disease, often with severe complications. In rare cases, C. difficile-associated disease can be fatal...

Senators need t-shirts too!

Posted on September 30, 2009
Next week many consumers (several past and present clients) will be walking the hallowed halls of the Senate meeting with Senators and staff.  The goal is to make food safety real to those that have the opportunity to in part increase FDA funding, increase inspections of plants that manufacture our food (including foreign companies) and to increase the resources for the CDC to catch outbreaks earlier...

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Victims of Oklahoma E. coli Outbreak File Suit Against Country Cottage Restaurant

Posted on September 30, 2009
Lawsuit Seeks to Cover Millions In Medical Expenses Victims of an August, 2008 outbreak of E. coli O111 have joined together to file suit against the Country Cottage restaurant, where they were sickened. The lawsuit was filed today in the District Court in the State of Oklahoma, in and for the County of Mayes, on behalf of twelve families...

Mr. President, Senators, Congress Members watch this video now!

Posted on September 30, 2009
It is long past time for meaningful changes in the safety of the food our children eat.  Whether the food is raw, local, organic, small farm, big farm, mass-produced or slow, if it contains E. coli O157:H7, or another pathogen, it can kill.  It can kill your child, grandchild or the child of a friend...

Marler Blog Makes 10 Excellent Food Policy Blogs

Posted on September 29, 2009
Parke Wilde keeps the U.S. Food Policy blog. He teaches graduate level courses in food policy and statistics at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. In this list, he looked beyond the excellent sites that already appeared in a recent list at Culinate, which included Ethicurean, Green Fork, ChewsWise, Food Politics, Politics of the Plate, Grist, Civil Eats, and Obama Foodorama...

Enterobacter sakazakii or Cronobacter sakazakii - either way - in Infant Formula it is Devastating

Posted on September 29, 2009
Over at E. sakazakii blog there is a discussion of the naming and renaming of this very nasty bug. Whatever the name it is a rare, but life-threatening cause of neonatal meningitis, sepsis, and necrotizing enterocolitis. In general, E. or C. sakazaii kills 40-80% of infected newborns diagnosed with this type of severe infection...

More Kudos for Food Safety News - Day on Torts

Posted on September 27, 2009
Tennessee Lawyer John Day is a reader of Food Safety News. Food Safety News is a new publication sponsored by food safety expert Bill Marler and his firm Marler Clark. It contains information on the food safety issues of the day, whether they pertain to foodborne illness outbreaks, recalled products, or food politics...

Over at Notions Capital - Another "shout out" for Food Safety News

Posted on September 27, 2009
Blogs With Bite, by Mike Licht - Blogs with Bite is an occasional omnivorous sampling of food blogs and sites we find particularly tasty. Follow the trail of bread crumbs back to earlier editions, starting here: Food Safety News — Comprehensive 'daily Web-based newspaper … reporting on issues surrounding food safety...

The Weeks Top Six Stories on Food Safety News

Posted on September 27, 2009
It has been another week with too much news in food safety.  Here are six that you should not have missed. Food Safety Education Month Winds Down Shootout in Tulsa – OK vs Big Chicken Q&A: Nestle on Food Safety Politics Outbreak Victims to Sue OK Restaurant Updated: Produce E...

Comparing the Food Safety Record of Pasteurized and Raw Milk Products - Part 2

Posted on September 27, 2009
On September 25, 2009, I posted Part 1 of a 4-part series that examines the food safety record of both pasteurized and raw dairy products. Below is Part 2, which provides background on the occurrence of foodborne pathogens in milk products, and mechanisms of contamination...

I was wrong about Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund - But Raw Milk is still "risky business"

Posted on September 25, 2009
Mr. Cox of the Farm-to-Legal Defense Fund (CLDF) informed me (through several emails) that I was mistaken and I agree with him.  I assumed that the farmer in a raw milk E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that nearly killed two children, who claimed that he consulted with CLDF, had also consulted with CLDF about disclosing communications between the farmer and the CLDF...

Food Safety and recalls of your kids' food - What the GAO has to say

Posted on September 23, 2009
From the GAO: Over the past few years, several food recalls, such as for beef and peanut products, have affected schools. It is especially important that recalls affecting schools be carried out efficiently and effectively because young children have a higher risk of complications from food-borne illnesses...

About Botulism - An Updated Resource - Botulism Blog

Posted on September 23, 2009
Botulism is a rare, life-threatening paralytic illness caused by neurotoxins produced by an anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. Unlike Clostridium perfringens, which requires the ingestion of large numbers of viable cells to cause symptoms, the symptoms of botulism are caused by the ingestion of highly toxic, soluble exotoxins produced by C...

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund Loses Bid to Keep Documents Secret in Raw Milk Litigation

Posted on September 23, 2009
In our Raw Milk Litigation in Missouri, Defendants and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund tried to keep from the public documents it appears that it rather keep secret.  The Judge did not agree.

Public Health Importance of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin- Producing Escherichia coli (non-O157 STEC) in the US Food Supply

Posted on September 23, 2009

From God's, errr Delish's Eric Burkett's, lips to the Internet's ear - He likes Food Safety News.

Posted on September 23, 2009
Eric first called out Marion Nestle's famous site – Food Politics. He then gave Food Safety News the following tip o' the pen: The second site – Foodsafetynews.com – is a new effort by lawyer and food safety expert, Bill Marler. At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss Marler because he specializes in food safety litigation, and has represented hundreds of cases for people injured because of food poisoning and related matters...

New Food Safety Legislation is needed - to protect the public and to put a trial lawyer out of business

Posted on September 22, 2009
The other evening when the President was pitching his health legislation, his biggest ovation - from both sides - came when he threw medical malpractice trial lawyers under the bus in an effort to get a few republican votes.  It was not much of a surprise...

BBC reports that Godstone Farm animals test positive for E. coli - No Shit!

Posted on September 21, 2009
Experts from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) said 33 of 102 samples were likely to contain the O157:H7 strain of the infection. This included samples from Lambs, pigs, goats, cattle, ponies and rabbit droppings at a Surrey farm at the centre of an E...

Food Safety News - Top 5 Stories of the Last week

Posted on September 20, 2009
It has been a great first week at Food Safety News.  Hopefully we are covering stories that the larger media is not and in a way that is helpful.  If some of my readers here on Marler Blog have story ideas and/or want to write a contributed article on FSN, please click here...

E. coli O111 Lawsuit against Country Cottage of Locust Grove coming soon

Posted on September 19, 2009
This coming week we will be filing suit against Country Cottage Restaurant and its owners on behalf of a dozen seriously injured victims of this outbreak.  Combined, our clients' medical bills are over $1,000,000 to date.  Kim Archer of the Tulsa World has done a great job of recalling the horrors of the United States' largest E...

Food Safety News takes the Internet by storm - www.foodsafetynews.com

Posted on September 19, 2009
Spending most of the week in DC gave me a chance to promote and get feedback on the now six day old online publication - www.foodsafetynews.com.  So far, so good.  Not only are we able to highlight some of the best sources of Food Safety information on the web - like Bites and Barfblog - but we will be adding in several more "foodie feeds...

A Good Day Watching Soccer

Posted on September 19, 2009
My 10 year old daughter's soccer team, the "butt kickers," lost 5 to 0 today.  Still was fun to watch.

I predict that Food Safety Legislation passes both Houses of Congress by Thanksgiving and is signed by the President before Christmas

Posted on September 18, 2009
Senator Harry Reid, majority leader of Senate, reached out by letter to my clients, the Rivera's, of Las Vegas.  Linda Rivera is one of 80 sickened by E. coli O157:H7-tainted Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough.  She has struggled with her illness since May 1...

Queen Victoria and Tubby Salmonella Spinach Recalled

Posted on September 18, 2009
The California Department of Public Health warned consumers not to eat 'Queen Victoria' and 'Tubby' bunched spinach because they may be contaminated with salmonella, which can cause serious illness.  The 12-count and 24-count spinach bunches were bound with a twist tie which says 'PLU 4090 UPC 33383-65200...

CDC - Update on the Epidemiology of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in the United States

Posted on September 18, 2009
Click on image to download PowerPoint:

A busy day in Washington DC

Posted on September 17, 2009
I must admit I like Washington DC.  Every time I get here I seem to pack much in, because there is always so much to do.  I had a full day today and will be on the Hill all Friday pitching food safety. I started out the morning with a presentation to the American Insurance Association...

Thirteen People Sickened with E. coli at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver British Columbia

Posted on September 16, 2009
According to press reports, eleven children and two adults came down with E. coli days after visiting the petting zoo at the Pacific National Exhibition this summer.  A spokesman for B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver confirmed Tuesday three of the 13 cases were serious enough to warrant hospital care...

Petting Zoos Sickening Kids in Britain and Canada - Please Take Precautions

Posted on September 16, 2009
The ongoing problems in the US led the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC ) to publish recommendations for reducing the risk of transmitting E. coli and other human pathogens at animal exhibits. In the wake of devastating E. coli outbreaks, several states including Pennsylvania and North Carolina have enacted laws requiring similar precautions...

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