SEATTLE, WA - Bill Marler, food safety advocate and E. coli attorney, whose Seattle law firm, Marler Clark, has been contacted by four victims of the E. coli outbreak traced to the Topps 21,700,000 pound hamburger recall, called today on Topps to pay the medical bills and lost wages of all individuals who became ill with E. coli infections as part of the outbreak. “We know that at least twenty-five people became ill with E. coli infections after eating Topps hamburger,” Marler said. “The cost of treating victims of E. coli infections can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, or in a severe case, even in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Marler continued. “These families need Topps to do more than promise to cooperate in the investigation into this outbreak. They need to know that Topps intends to fulfill its corporate responsibility by looking out for its customers.”
Marler noted that in other outbreak-situations companies such as Chi-Chi’s, Dole, Jack in the Box, Con Agra, Odwalla and Sheetz advanced medical costs for outbreak victims whose illnesses were traced to their food products.
Since the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak in 1993, Bill Marler has represented thousands of E. coli victims against corporations such as AFG, Bauer Meats, BJ's Wholesale Club, Byerly's, ConAgra, Cub Foods, Dole, Emmpak, Excel, Finley School District, Fresno Meat market, Gold Coast Produce, Habaneros, Interstate Meats, Jack in the Box, Karl Ehmer, Kentucky Fried Chicken, King Garden, Lunds, McDonalds, Odwalla, Natural Selections, Olive Garden, Peninsula Village, Pat & Oscar's, PM Beef Holdings, Sam's Club, Sizzler, Spokane Produce, Sodexho, Supervalu, Taco Bell, Taco John's, Topps, United Food Group (UFG), Walmart and Wendy's. Total recoveries on behalf of victims are in excess of $300,000,000.
Several times a month Bill, through the non-profit OutBreak, Inc., speaks to industry and government throughout the United States, Canada, China and Australia on why it is important to prevent foodborne illnesses. He is also a frequent commentator on food litigation and safety on www.marlerblog.com. Bill also sponsors several websites related to E. coli, including www.about-ecoli.com, www.about-hus.com and www.ecoliblog.com.
More about the Topps E. coli outbreak can be found in the Case News area of this site.