Freshway Lettuce E. coli O145 Lawsuits

Marler Clark filed the first E. coli Lawsuit in the outbreak of E. coli O145 linked to recalled Freshway romaine lettuce.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a student at Ohio State University, who was sickened in the outbreak.  The first clusters of the outbreak were detected surrounding colleges; in addition to OSU, students were sickened at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Daemen College in Amherst, NY.  The connection to lettuce was detected when a bag of lettuce distributed to a NY state school system tested positive for the E. coli outbreak strain.  Students in Wappingers Falls and Saratoga Springs fell ill, two of them with life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS.

Ultimately, the CDC counted at least 33 confirmed and probable illnesses in the Freshway outbreak from 4 states.  E. coli O145 is a relatively rare strain of E. coli, however, and as a result it is only rarely tested for by medical providers.  Thus, it is likely that many more illnesses occurred in the outbreak that were not detected.

The lawsuit was filed against Freshway and its distributors on May 10, by Marler Clark and Ulmer & Berne. 

PRESS RELEASES:
Marler Clark Launches Updated Website on E. coli O145 Complication - Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
Freshway Foods Lettuce Recalled for E. coli O145 Contamination; E. coli O145 Outbreak Tops 60
E. coli Outbreaks Linked to Leafy Greens on the Rise

The E. coli attorneys at Marler Clark have been representing victims of outbreaks since 1993.  The law firm has represented victims of the largest E. coli outbreaks in the country, including the 2006 spinach E. coli outbreak and the 2005 Dole lettuce E. coli outbreak.