--- title: Seattle firm leading Sheetz litigation date: 2006-05-06T01:49:00-07:00 author: admin canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/seattle-firm-leading-sheetz-litigation" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Firm News](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/firm-news) / # Seattle firm leading Sheetz litigation CHARLESTON - William Marler has been living in disease for 13 years. The Seattle attorney first made a name for himself representing Jack in the Box customers who were exposed to the E. coli bacteria in undercooked hamburger. One individual he represented earned more than $15 million in a settlement. In 1996, '98 and 2001 he earned clients more multi-million-dollar settlements stemming from E. coli outbreaks in restaurants, and in 2003 earned a $6.25 million settlement on behalf of a man who had to have a liver transplant after receiving Hepatitis A at a Chi-Chi's. His next opponents are Salmonella bacteria, Sheetz and Coronet Foods. "It's an odd niche," said Marler, who helped form the Seattle law firm Marler Clark after the Jack in the Box case in 1993. "I've been involved in a lot of salmonella outbreaks. "I had one person in this (Sheetz) outbreak that suffered acute kidney failure. Luckily his kidney function bounced back. "Salmonella is a nasty bug." Marler says he plans to file 148 cases against Sheetz and Coronet Foods concerning allegedly Salmonella-infested tomatoes sold in 2004. Most are in Pennsylvania, but he says there are handfuls in West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia in Maryland. A group of four Sheetz customers have already filed a lawsuit in Tucker Circuit Court and are set for trial in December. They are seeking a total of $70,000. Two weeks ago, two cases were filed in Ohio Circuit Court against Sheetz and Coronet, Sheetz' tomato supplier. Michael L. Soloman of Morgantown law firm Soloman and Soloman is handling both of those cases and isn't officially working with Marler, though Marler said he is working with lawyers in the states affected by the outbreak. "I've been doing cases all over the country," he said. "I have local lawyers who, sort of, work with me on cases." Though one might question why 148 cases aren't grouped into one class action claim, Marler explained that each individual's settlement differs from others' because the extent of damages incurred by each individual is different in a food-poisoning case. "Some cases will have settlements below $25,000 and will go to an arbitrator," he said. "A bunch of cases, probably over half of them, will be over $25,000 and frankly, in my view, have settlement or verdict ranges in the hundreds of thousands of dollars." And because the cases are so spread out and Marler is so far away, he has decided to file all his cases in Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. "It's the easiest place for everybody to get to, for lawyers and even the clients," Marler said. Marler is used to these types of procedure when it comes to food-born illness litigation because he's had plenty of experience. He even started Outbreak Inc., a consulting firm for businesses that helps its clients avoid outbreaks like the one Sheetz is dealing with right now. "By mid-May we hope to be finishing up a series of depositions," Marler said. "We're doing that with the hope that we can convince Sheetz and Coronet that they're not going to be able to point a finger anywhere except themselves. "We've got these poor people who get poisoned just going to a Sheetz. I represent a range of people who were sick for a week to hospitalized for 10-15 days. "It's not just a tummy-ache and some diarrhea." ### Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses [Reactive Arthritis Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=reactive-arthritis&year=all) [E. coli Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=e-coli&year=all) [Guillain-Barre Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=guillain-barre-syndrome&year=all) [Salmonella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=salmonella&year=all) [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hemolytic-uremic-syndrome&year=all) [Listeria Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=listeria&year=all) [Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=irritable-bowel-syndrome&year=all) [Hepatitis A Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hepatitis-a&year=all) [Norovirus Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=norovirus&year=all) [Botulism Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=botulism&year=all) [Campylobacter Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=campylobacter&year=all) [Shigella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=shigella&year=all) [Cyclospora Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=cyclospora&year=all) ### Lawsuits updates by year [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1998) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1999) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2000) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2001) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2002) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2003) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2004) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2005) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2006) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2008) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026) ##### Get Help #### Affected by an outbreak or recall? 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) ##### 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)