--- title: Legal claims spread to Salinas Valley date: 2005-05-23T16:45:38-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/legal-claims-spread-to-salinas-valley" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Outbreaks](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/outbreaks) / # Legal claims spread to Salinas Valley ![](http://www.ecoliblog.com/ecoli22.jpg)The Salinas Californian reports that two Southern California outbreaks of [E. coli](http://www.about-ecoli.com/) in 2003 are finding their way back to the city of Salinas. The first case took place in October 2003 when a group of residents at a retirement home community in [Portola Valley](http://www.marlerclark.com/sodexho-sequoias-retirement-center-e-coli-outbreak/) became sick after eating raw spinach, and one of them died. An investigation by the California Department of Health Services determined the spinach was processed by River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC, and grown on several farms in the Salinas Valley. The second case involved Southern California restaurant chain Pat & Oscar’s, where close to 60 people fell ill with food poisoning after eating lettuce that state health officials also traced to River Ranch and Diamond Produce, also in the Salinas Valley. River Ranch and Diamond Produce then filed claims against Monterey County in November, citing that their produce could have been contaminated by water coming from the Santa Rita Creek, which runs along the fields where the crops were harvested. Now, Monterey County officials say the city of Salinas is responsible for the upkeep of Santa Rita Creek. Contamination can happen if flooding after rains cause overflow from the creek into area farms. It should be noted that, even though the state health officials determined where the food came from, they have not found the source of the E. coli, said Allen Stroh, Monterey County’s director of environmental health. Litigation in these cases could take years or could be settled in a matter of months. 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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 ###### [E. coli Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-food-poisoning) What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so... ###### [E. coli O157:H7](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-o157h7) E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in... ###### [Non-O157 STEC](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/non-o157-stec) Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least... ###### [Sources of E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/sources-of-e-coli) Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are... ###### [Transmission of and Infection with E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/transmission-of-and-infection-with-e-coli) While many dairy cattle-associated foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to raw milk and other raw dairy products (e.g., cheeses, butter, ice cream), dairy cattle still represent a source of contamination... ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? 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. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)