The Listeria lawsuit was filed by foodborne illness law firm Marler Clark. This is the sixth lawsuit filed by Marler Clark.
Marler Clark filed a lawsuit today in Federal District Court in Oklahoma on behalf of an Oklahoma (US) man hospitalised with a Listeria infection.
This marks the sixth separate lawsuit filed by Marler Clark against colourado-based cantaloupe producer Jensen Farms. The lawsuit also names Texas-based distributor Frontera Produce as a defendant.
According to the complaint, 68-year-old Doyle Underwood of Oklahoma, consumed cantaloupe on multiple occasions in August. By September 2, he had begun to develop symptoms of a Listeria infection including fatigue, muscle aches, and mental status changes. For the next three days Mr Underwood’s condition continued to worsen until he was hospitalised with listeriosis, the illness brought on by Listeria, on September 5.
The complaint states that Mr Underwood, who was released from the hospital on October 3, was informed by Oklahoma health officials that his Listeria illness occurred as part of the Jensen Farms, Frontera Produce Listeria outbreak.
Listeria attorney, William Marler, said: “A month in the hospital is quite the price to pay for enjoying a slice of cantaloupe. Mr Underwood and many others like him have suffered dearly in this outbreak and we hope that Jensen Farms and Frontera will step up and do the right thing for their customers.”
In September, multiple state health agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked a nationwide Listeria outbreak to Rocky Ford cantaloupe produced by Jensen Farms and distributed by Frontera Produce. At least 100 people in 20 states have become ill with Listeria infections after eating contaminated cantaloupe in August and September. 98% of victims have been hospitalised and 18 have died as a result of their Listeria infections.
Source: Marler Clarke
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