Personal Injury Law

E. coli Outbreak Litigation - $500,000,000 Recovered in 18 Years

By Bill Marler, Esq.

E. coli O157:H7 was identified for the first time at the CDC in 1975, but it was not until seven years later, in 1982, that E. coli O157:H7 was conclusively determined to be a cause of enteric disease. Following outbreaks of foodborne illness that involved several cases of bloody diarrhea, E. coli O157:H7 was firmly associated with hemorrhagic colitis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated in 1999 that 73,000 cases of E. coli O157:H7 occur each year in the United States. Approximately 2,000 people are hospitalized, and 60 people die as a direct result of E. coli O157:H7 infections and complications. The majority of infections are thought to be foodborne-related, although E. coli O157:H7 accounts for less than 1% of all foodborne illness.  The CDC also estimates that non-O157 STECs (like O26, O45, 0103, O111, O121, and O145) cause another 36,700 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalizations and 30 deaths in America each year.  E. coli is the leading cause of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).

While the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with E. coli O157:H7 have involved ground beef, such outbreaks have also involved unpasteurized apple and orange juice, unpasteurized milk, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, spinach and water. An outbreak can also be caused by person-to-person transmission of the bacteria in homes and in settings like daycare centers, hospitals, and nursing homes. We have been involved in representing families of children who have suffered from this bacterium in the following cases:

• AFG / Supervalu E. coli Outbreak - Minnesota
• AgVenture Farms Petting Zoo E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Litigation - Florida
• Aunt Mid's Lettuce E. coli outbreak -  Michigan, Illinois, and Ontario
• Bauer Meat E. coli Litigation - Georgia
• Big Fresno Fair E. coli Outbreak 2005
• BJ's Wholesale Club E. coli Litigation - New York and New Jersey
• California Romaine Lettuce E. coli Outbreak - Washington State
• Camp Bournedale-South Shore Meats E. coli Outbreak - Rhode Island, Massachusetts
• Captain's Galley Seafood Restaurant E. coli Outbreak - North Carolina
• Cargill E. coli Outbreak - Nationwide

Full post as published by Marler Blog on October 12, 2010 (boomark / email).