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Texas Family Files Listeria Lawsuit Against Cantaloupe Producer

ANGLETON, TEXAS – The family of an Angleton, Texas, woman who was hospitalized after consuming Listeria-contaminated cantaloupe filed a lawsuit against the Colorado-based farm that produced the cantaloupe in Brazoria County District Court today. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family by Marler Clark, the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of foodborne illness. Marler Clark has filed two additional lawsuits in this outbreak.

According to the complaint, Juanita Gomez consumed cantaloupe purchased from a local grocery store in early August. By August 20, Mrs. Gomez became ill and developed a fever. When her symptoms progressed, she was taken to the hospital where her temperature measured 105.6 degrees F, her eyes became glassy, and she was unable to respond to simple questions. Tests later confirmed she had been infected with the same strain of Listeria linked to an ongoing outbreak that has been traced to defendant Jensen Farms’ Rocky Ford cantaloupe. Mrs. Gomez was released from the hospital on August 24 and continues to recover at her home

On September 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that at least 55 people nationwide had become ill and 8 had died from Listeria infections after consuming cantaloupe produced in the Rocky Ford region of Colorado. Earlier this month, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found Listeria monocytogenes in cantaloupe samples from Holly, Colorado-based Jensen Farms, which produces 40% of cantaloupe in the region.

“As everyone who is in the food industry understands, foodborne illness outbreaks are preventable,” said Gomez family attorney William Marler, whose firm won a $1.1 million dollar judgment on behalf of a Texas Listeria victim earlier this year. “Unfortunately, when a producer like Jensen Farms fails to perform food safety due diligence, innocent consumers like Juanita Gomez suffer.”

MARLER CLARK is the nation’s leading law firm dedicated solely to representing victims of foodborne illness. The firm’s Listeria attorneys have unmatched experience handling food poisoning cases and recently won a $1.1 million judgment on behalf of the family of a man who died after eating Listeria-contaminated celery. The firm has recovered over $600,000,000 for victims of foodborne illnesses. For more information or, if you are a member of the media and wish to view a copy of the complaint, please contact Cody Moore at cmoore@marlerclark.com or 1-206-407-2200.

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