--- title: "Woman's son sues over E. coli death" date: 2008-01-08T03:15:39-08:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/womans-son-sues-over-e-coli-death-2" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Outbreaks](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/outbreaks) / # Woman's son sues over E. coli death By Joshua L. KwanPosted on Mon, Feb. 23, 2004 San Jose Mercury News The son of an 85-year-old woman who died of complications from a bacterium infection has sued the food service company that supplied contaminated spinach to the Portola Valley nursing home where the woman lived. The lawsuit, filed last week in San Mateo County Superior Court, blames the death of Alice McWalter on Sodexho, the Maryland-based company contracted to prepare and serve food for residents at the Sequoias nursing home. McWalter contracted E. coli in October, most likely from contaminated spinach in the cafeteria. She was hospitalized on Oct. 14 and died 12 days later from complications related to the infection. The San Mateo County Health Services Agency investigated an E. coli outbreak at the Sequoias and found that 46 residents and staff members reported symptoms. Of those, 13 had confirmed infections. Seven people -- including McWalter -- were hospitalized. A spokesman for Sodexho, one of the world's largest food services companies, could not be reached for comment. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, accuses the food provider of violating state and federal health and food safety laws. Keith McWalter, a Portola Valley lawyer, said his mother complained of abdominal pain when he visited her on Oct. 12. The first Sequoia resident was hospitalized on Oct. 10, but residents weren't warned of a possible E. coli outbreak until Oct. 13. 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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) ##### Related Resources ###### [E. coli Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-food-poisoning) What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so... ###### [E. coli O157:H7](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-o157h7) E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in... ###### [Non-O157 STEC](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/non-o157-stec) Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. 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