Marler Clark, the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of foodborne illness outbreaks, filed a lawsuit today against Iguana Joe’s on behalf of a child who was allegedly part of a Salmonella outbreak liked to the restaurant. The complaint was filed in Harris County District Court by the child’s parents, who are represented by Marler Clark and Houston attorney John Ramsey.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff ate food at Iguana Joe’s on June 18, 2013 and fell ill with symptoms of Salmonella infection over the next several days. Attorneys allege that after a week of illness that included a fever, diarrhea and loss of appetite, the child was seen by his pediatrician, who ordered a stool culture that returned positive for Salmonella. The complaint states that the child continued to be ill over the next week as his parents continued to care for him.
The complaint cites multiple closures of Iguana Joe’s by Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services due to “continued critical violations that put the public’s health at risk” and the public health agency’s determination that at least a dozen Salmonella cases had been traced to the restaurant.
“The Salmonella outbreak that sickened my client and other children was completely preventable,” said attorney William Marler. “Based on the number of critical violations found by the Harris County Health Department, I’d say an outbreak linked to Iguana Joe’s was inevitable.”
BACKGROUND: Marler Clark has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness in the 20 years since the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. The law firm has secured over $600,000,000 on behalf of victims of E. coli, Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks.