Another lawsuit has been filed in California against Costco Corporation and Townsend Farms on behalf of a victim of a multi-state hepatitis A outbreak. The source of the outbreak is frozen berries manufactured by Oregon-based Townsend Farms and sold at Costco stores, according to the suit, which is not a class action. The berries were part of a recall.
“The evidence pointing to Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend berries is extremely strong,” said attorney Fred Pritzker, who is representing several other victims of the hepatitis A outbreak. “Our goal is to hold Townsend Farms and Costco accountable for these illnesses by getting full and fair compensation for our clients.”
This newest lawsuit was filed against Townsend Farms and Costco Corporation in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, California on behalf of a 52-year old Burbank, California resident who consumed Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend berries he had purchased at a Costco store in Burbank. In early May, he had symptoms of hepatitis A, including fatigue, jaundice (indicated in most patients by yellow eyes and/or skin), dark urine, discolored stools, dehydration, chest pains, nausea, and vomiting. On May 13, 2013, he went to his doctor, who tested him for hepatitits A. His test was positive. According to the lawsuit, he is still jaundiced and suffering from severe fatigue, and he has missed a month of work.
The plaintiff in this lawsuit was notified by the Los Angeles County Health Department that he had been sickened by the Townsend Farms frozen berries he had purchased at Costco. He is one of at least 122 victims in 8 states who contracted hepatitis A after eating frozen Townsend Farm berries sold at Costco. The eight states involved in the outbreak include Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington.
