Yesterday a lawsuit was filed against Wal-Mart on behalf of two children who are part of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to cantaloupe grown by Chamberlain Farms of Owensville, Indiana. According to the complaint, the two children got sick within days of eating cantaloupe purchased at Wal-Mart. One child was hospitalized for 4 days.
“The victims of this outbreak deserve compensation for their illnesses,” said Fred Pritzker, national Salmonella lawyer. Pritzker, who recently won $4.5 million for a food poisoning victim, urges victims and families to contact an attorney as soon as possible. “Filing a lawsuit in these cases sends a clear message to growers, distributors and retailers that food sold to consumers should be safe to eat. Parents should not have to worry that food they give their children may serious injure or kill them.”
This lawsuit was filed in Michigan, but similar lawsuits will most likely be filed in all of the states involved in this outbreak. To date, the CDC reports that 178 people in 21 states have been sickened:
Alabama (13), Arkansas (3), California (2), Georgia (3), Illinois (21), Indiana (18), Iowa (7), Kentucky (56), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (6), Minnesota (4), Mississippi (5), Missouri (12), New Jersey (2), North Carolina (3), Ohio (4), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (6), Texas (2), and Wisconsin (4).
Cantaloupe Recall
Yesterday, the FDA announced a recall of cantaloupe by Chamberlain Farms, of Owensville, Indiana, because of possible contamination with Salmonella Typhimurium associated with the multistate outbreak of salmonellosis that sickened the two children on whose behalf the lawsuit against Wal-Mart was filed.
“This recall should have been issued at least a week ago,” said Pritzker. “Every measure should have been taken to prevent further illness.”
The investigation into this outbreak continues, in order to determine whether there are other possible sources of the outbreak. Walmart, Krogers, Schneiders, Marsh, Meijer, Schnucks and other grocery stores have pulled cantaloupe from their shelves.
