(Santa Ana, CA) The first lawsuit has been filed by Marler Clark and Fredric L. Gordon against Euro Foods, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, d/b/a Citterio USA, in the recent Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak linked to salami sticks. Marler Clark, the Salmonella attorneys, represent Michelle Wernli and Evan Aldrich, on behalf of their minor son who became ill after eating Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salami Sticks. The lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court, Central District of California. Complaint #2:21-cv-09420,see below.
In this Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak, 31 people infected with the outbreak strain were reported in 10 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from September 18, 2021, to October 18, 2021. Ill people range in age from 1 to 75 years, with a median age of 7. Sixty one percent of those sickened were female. Six people were hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported at this time.
How do you know if you have Salmonella and may be part of this outbreak?
On November 10, 2021, Citterio USA, recalled approximately 119,091 pounds of salami stick products produced prior to October 25, 2021, with “best by” dates through January 23,2021, due to suspected contamination with the Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- bacteria.
“This is an unusual outbreak. Over the last several years outbreaks linked to cured meats have been rare,” said William D. Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark. “This fecal bacterial contamination likely occurred due to a failure in curing or cross-contamination after processing,” added Marler.
What happened to a young victim of Salmonella?
Michelle Wernli and Evan Aldrich’s 2 ½ year old son (L.A.) consumed at least one of the Citterio salami sticks that were part of this recall. The toddler woke up during the night with a fever and later developed diarrhea, which eventually turned bloody. When he began experiencing severe stomach cramping his parents sought medical care. Following a telemedicine appointment, a stool culture was ordered and came back positive for Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-. L.A. has been confirmed as being part of the Citterio brand salami stick outbreak and is home now recovering from his illness.
Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $800 million for clients. Our Salmonella attorneys have litigated cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as onions, cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants.
If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim and would like a free case evaluation, contact Marler Clark or call Bill Marler directly at 1-206-346-1890 or email at bmarler@marlerclark.com.
Complaint (pdf)