--- title: "Marler Clark Investigating Multistate Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Imported Frozen Clams, Confirming Cases in New York" date: 2026-09-27T08:11:00-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/marler-clark-investigating-multistate-hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-imported-frozen-clams-confirming-cases-in-new-york" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Press Releases](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/press-releases) / # Marler Clark Investigating Multistate Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Imported Frozen Clams, Confirming Cases in New York **BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. — September 28, 2026 —** Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is investigating the [multistate hepatitis A outbreak](https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis-a/outbreaks/clams-2026/index.html) that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have potentially linked to imported frozen clams, and is working to confirm illnesses reported to the firm by New York residents. As of September 17, CDC counts 37 people sick in four states — New York (27), Pennsylvania (4), Massachusetts (3) and Minnesota (3). Thirty of the 37, or 81 percent, have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Those sickened range in age from 6 to 40. The product is La Serranita-brand concha negra (black shell) fresh frozen shell meat from Ecuador, sold in 16-ounce plastic packages and typically eaten raw or marinated in ceviche. On April 30, 2026, [FDA advised](https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/safety-alert-hepatitis-virus-concha-negra-black-shell-shell-meat-april-2026)restaurants, retailers and consumers not to serve, sell or eat it, and on May 22 the agency expanded the alert to cover distribution in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Dealers in New Jersey and New York have recalled the product. A [New Jersey notice](https://www.issc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2026/concha-negra-issc-message.pdf) circulated through the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference described the clams as illegally imported from an unapproved source; Ecuador has no molluscan shellfish agreement with FDA. FDA has not named the importer or the dealers, and traceback to the source or sources of the clams is ongoing. Illness onset dates run from July 30, 2025 to June 23, 2026. Thirty-two of the 37 people became ill before mid-February 2026. Five became ill after FDA’s April 30 alert, the last on June 23. CDC says its own investigation began in May 2026. “Hepatitis A is the one foodborne infection we can stop after exposure. A dose of vaccine or immune globulin works if it is given within two weeks,” said William “Bill” Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. “Nine months passed between the first illness and the first public warning. For nearly everyone in this outbreak, that window closed before anyone told them the clams were the problem.” Of the sick people interviewed by state and local health officials, 77 percent reported eating ceviche, 76 percent reported eating raw or undercooked shellfish, and 47 percent reported eating raw or undercooked conchas negras — all significantly higher than the rates reported in CDC’s FoodNet Population Survey, the comparison that pointed investigators to the clams. “Freezing does not kill this virus,” Marler said. “A package that went into a restaurant freezer last year is as dangerous today as the day it was sold. Anyone with La Serranita concha negra in a freezer should throw it out, and anyone who ate it in the last two weeks and is not vaccinated should talk to a doctor now.” Marler Clark has represented victims of the largest hepatitis A outbreaks in U.S. history, including the 2003 Chi-Chi’s green onion outbreak in Pennsylvania, the largest on record, and the 2016 Genki Sushi outbreak in Hawaii, traced to imported frozen scallops. The firm also represented victims of the 2013 Townsend Farms and 2016 Tropical Smoothie Café outbreaks, both caused by hepatitis A virus that survived freezing in fruit. For years the firm has urged restaurants and health officials to vaccinate food service workers against hepatitis A. **What consumers should do** - • Do not eat, serve or sell La Serranita-brand concha negra (black shell) shell meat. Throw it away or return it to the place of purchase. - • Clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers it touched. Food contaminated with hepatitis A virus looks, smells and tastes normal. - • If you ate the product raw or undercooked within the last 14 days and are not vaccinated against hepatitis A, contact your local health department or health care provider about postexposure prophylaxis. - • Symptoms usually appear two to seven weeks after exposure: fatigue, fever, nausea, stomach pain, dark urine, clay-colored stools and jaundice. See a doctor if you develop them. New York residents diagnosed with hepatitis A after eating raw or undercooked black clams or ceviche can contact Marler Clark for a free case evaluation at 1-800-884-9840 or through the firm’s [outbreak page](https://marlerclark.com/la-serranita-concha-negra-frozen-clam-hepatitis-a-outbreak-lawsuits). **About Marler Clark** Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of foodborne illness outbreaks. Founded after the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, the firm has represented thousands of victims of hepatitis A, E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and other foodborne illness outbreaks and has recovered more than $850 million for its clients. Managing partner Bill Marler publishes Marler Blog and founded Food Safety News. **Contact** William D. 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