--- title: "Food safety attorney, Bill Marler available to put deadly Salmonella cantaloupe outbreak in context" date: 2023-12-07T15:31:00-08:00 author: Julie Dueck canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/food-safety-attorney-bill-marler-available-to-put-deadly-salmonella-cantaloupe-outbreak-in-context" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Press Releases](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/press-releases) / # Food safety attorney, Bill Marler available to put deadly Salmonella cantaloupe outbreak in context In the recently released [Netflix documentary](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4034776-1&h=3987302316&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.netflix.com%2Ftitle%2F81460481%23%3A~%3Atext%3D2023%2520%257C%2520Maturity%2520Rating%253ATV%252D%2Cfoodborne%2520illness%2520in%2520the%2520US.&a=Netflix+documentary) “Poisoned,” nearly everyone agree that cantaloupe has been a problematic fruit. Across the U.S. and Canada 359 people have gotten sick, including 140 hospitalized and eight deaths, all linked to imported cantaloupe from Mexico. In the U.S., as of December 6, 2023, 230 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of *Salmonella* have been reported from 38 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 16 to November 20, 2023. Of 185 people with information available, 96 (52 percent) have been hospitalized ranging in age ffrom less than one to 100 years old. Twenty four people resided at long-term care facilities when they got sick and 23 children attended childcare centers when they got sick. In Canada, as of December 7, 2023, there were 129 laboratory confirmed cases of *Salmonella* Soahanina, Sundsvall, and Oranienburg illness linked to this outbreak in the following provinces: British Columbia (15), Ontario (17), Quebec (91), Prince Edward Island (2), New Brunswick (2), and Newfoundland and Labrador (2). Individuals became sick between mid-October and mid-November 2023. Forty four individuals have been hospitalized and five deaths reported. Individuals who became ill are between 0 to 100 years of age. Most of the individuals who became sick were children five or younger (35 percent) and adults 65 or older (45 percent). **Bill Marler** has been a food safety lawyer and advocate since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box *E. coli* outbreak which was chronicled in the book, ["Poisoned,"](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4034776-1&h=1600104435&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPoisoned-Deadly-Outbreak-Changed-Americans%2Fdp%2F098495435X&a=%22Poisoned%22) and in the recent [Netflix documentary](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4034776-1&h=3987302316&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.netflix.com%2Ftitle%2F81460481%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3D2023%2520%257C%2520Maturity%2520Rating%253ATV%252D%2Cfoodborne%2520illness%2520in%2520the%2520US.&a=Netflix+documentary) by the same name. Bill's work has been profiled in the New Yorker, ["A Bug in the System;"](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4034776-1&h=889141452&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newyorker.com%2Fmagazine%2F2015%2F02%2F02%2Fbug-system&a=%22A+Bug+in+the+System%3B%22) the Seattle Times, ["30 years after the deadly *E. coli* outbreak, A Seattle attorney still fights for food safety;"](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4034776-1&h=2317238478&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seattletimes.com%2Fpacific-nw-magazine%2F30-years-after-the-deadly-e-coli-outbreak-a-seattle-attorney-still-fights-for-food-safety%2F&a=%2230+years+after+the+deadly+E.+coli+outbreak%2C+A+Seattle+attorney+still+fights+for+food+safety%3B%22) the Washington Post, ["He helped make burgers safer, now he is fighting food poisoning again;"](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4034776-1&h=4224570273&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnational%2Fhe-helped-make-burgers-safer-now-hes-fighting-food-poisoning-again%2F2020%2F01%2F18%2F5b979cf8-38ad-11ea-9541-9107303481a4_story.html&a=%22He+helped+make+burgers+safer%2C+Now+he+is+fighting+food+poisoning+again%3B%22) and [several others](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4034776-1&h=2589125612&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbillmarler.com%2Fbiography&a=several+others). [**Marler Clark**](http://www.marlerclark.com/) has lead all the cantaloupe outbreak lawsuits over the last decades, including: - [Caito Foods Melon Salmonella Outbreak – Multistate (2018)](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/melon-salmonella-outbreak-and-litigation-multistate-2018) - [Chamberlain Farms Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak – Multistate (2012)](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/chamberlain-farms-cantaloupe-salmonella-outbreak-multistate-2012) - [Del Monte Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Lawsuit – Nationwide (2011)](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/del-monte-cantaloupe-salmonella-outbreak) - [Susie Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Lawsuit – Washington (2002)](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/susie-cantaloupe-salmonella-outbreak-nationwide) - [Viva Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Lawsuit – Washington, California (2001)](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/viva-cantaloupe-salmonella-outbreak) - [Jensen Farms Rocky Ford Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak – Nationwide (2011)](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/jensen-farms-rocky-ford-cantaloupe-listeria-outbreak-colorado-new-mexico) ### Other Salmonella Lawsuits [64 with Salmonella tied to Oysters](https://marlerclark.com/64-with-salmonella-tied-to-oysters) [Vega Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 63](https://marlerclark.com/vega-farms-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-63) [Green Supplement causes Salmonella Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/green-supplement-causes-salmonella-outbreak) [Salmonella Outbreak tied to Metabolic Meals](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-outbreak-tied-to-metabolic-meals) [Kentucky Salmonella outbreak linked to Ramsey’s Diners and Missy’s Pies](https://marlerclark.com/kentucky-salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-ramseys-diners-and-missys-pies) [Salmonella Egg Outbreak sickens 63 in California](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-egg-outbreak-sickens-63-in-california) [Cucumbers with Salmonella - Again](https://marlerclark.com/cucumbers-with-salmonella-again) [Aladdin Mediterranean 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Salmonella Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella/about-salmonella) What is Salmonella and how does it cause food poisoning? The term Salmonella refers to a specific group of gram-negative bacteria with the potential to cause gastrointestinal distress and other... ###### [The Incidence of Salmonella Infections](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella/the-incidence-of-salmonella-infections) Typhoidal Salmonella Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi, Sendai, and Paratyphi A, B, or C are found exclusively in humans. 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