ROCHESTER, NY – Marler Clark, the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella, along with Rochester-based law firm Underberg & Kessler, has filed a Salmonella lawsuit on behalf of a Webster, New York woman and her child against New Jersey-based pine nut importer Sunrise Commodities. This is the fourth lawsuit the law firms have filed against the company [1].
According to a complaint (#11CV6618) filed in U.S. District Court in Rochester, Laurie Neff fell ill on October 21, 2011, days after consuming Turkish pine nuts purchased from a Wegmans Food Mart in Webster, New York. For ten days Miss Neff sustained gastrointestinal symptoms and on November 7 her child also began experiencing similar symptoms that worsened until the child was taken to the emergency room on November 10. Lab testing later showed that the child tested positive for Salmonella. The lawsuit alleges the Salmonella infection and related injuries suffered by the child were results of either consumption of pine nuts or her exposure to Miss Neff after she became infected with Salmonella after eating contaminated pine nuts.
“Many people don’t realize that foodborne infections can be passed from person to person,” said Marler Clark Salmonella attorney William Marler. “Nonetheless, a person infected with a pathogen like Salmonella or E. coli may pass it on to someone else; unfortunately it is usually someone very close and often a child.”
On November 9, 2011 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that 42 people had become ill with Salmonella Enteritidis infections after consuming Turkish pine nuts sold at Wegmans Food Marts. Following a recall of the pine nuts by Wegmans, the FDA reported that the pine nuts were sold to Wegmans by Sunrise Commodities. Upon investigation, the FDA found Salmonella Enteritidis to be present on pine nuts at Sunrise Commodities’ storage facilities.
“I applaud the public health officials for making short work of their investigation,” said Underberg & Kessler attorney Paul Nunes. “When an outbreak is so concisely pinpointed, it is comforting to grocery stores, consumers and the entire Rochester community to know our public health agencies are working efficiently to protect us by getting contaminated products off the shelves as quickly as possible.”
MARLER CLARK is the nation’s foremost law firm dedicated to working on behalf of victims of foodborne illness outbreaks. The Marler Clark Salmonella lawyers have recovered over $600 million for foodborne illness victims and their families. For more information or to speak with an attorney call 1-866-770-2032. If you are a member of the media please contact Cody Moore at 1-206-407-2200 or cmoore@marlerclark.com
[1] 11/10/11, New York Federal District Court #11CV6561. 11/15/11, New York Federal District Court #11CV6566T; New York Federal District Court #11CV6581T.