ATLANTA, GA — Marler Clark, the Seattle law firm nationally known for the successful representation of foodborne illness victims, and the well-respected Atlanta law firm, Johnson & Ward, have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bonnie Bartley and her four-year-old granddaughter, both of whom became seriously ill after eating at the Golden Corral restaurant in Kennesaw. The lawsuit arises from the Salmonella outbreak that occurred at the restaurant in late July and early August, and that led to at least 20 confirmed Salmonella serotype berta infections. Health officials confirmed the restaurant as the source of the outbreak after Salmonella bacteria was found in a drain at the restaurant.
This is not the first time a Golden Corral restaurant has been linked to a foodborne illness outbreak. In 1999 Marler Clark sued the Golden Corral in Kearney, Nebraska, on behalf of victims of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak.
“In addition to representing Ms. Bartley, we have been contacted by several other victims in this outbreak,” said William Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. “All of these people consumed food they believed was wholesome and unadulterated only to ultimately pay the price for eating at Golden Corral. The restaurant should step up, and do the right thing, compensating victims for what they’ve gone through.”
“Our clients have suffered terribly,” said William Lanham, attorney with Johnson & Ward. “Salmonella infections are not easy. Victims suffer from intense abdominal cramping, bloody diarrhea, and nausea. Many have to be hospitalized.”
Marler Clark (www.marlerclark.com) currently represents 50 victims who were infected with Salmonella after eating at a Chili’s in Vernon Hills, Illinois, in June, an outbreak that sickened over 100 people. The firm represented 70 victims of Salmonella poisoning at a country club in Rochester, New York, last summer, and settled the claims of victims who ate Salmonella-tainted pastries at Black Forrest bakery in Clinton Township, Michigan in March of 2002. Both settlements were for confidential sums. The firm represented victims against Sun Orchard after the company’s orange juice was tied to a Salmonella outbreak in 1999. The cases settled for $1.8 million. The firm has successfully represented over 1,000 victims of Salmonella poisoning in many other states.
Marler Clark and Johnson & Ward have worked together on several occasions. Notably, the two firms represented victims of the White Water Water Park E. coli O157:H7 outbreak and victims of E. coli infections traced to ground beef produced by beef producer Excel in 1999.
For more information on Salmonella, visit the Marler Clark-sponsored Web site about Salmonella.
More about the Golden Corral Salmonella outbreak can be found in the Case News area of this site.