Los Angeles restaurant sickens at least 20 people with Salmonella – Simultaneously, a second Fig & Olive location in Washington D.C. sickens at least 60 people with Salmonella.

As of September 28, 2015, Marler Clark LLP, The Food Safety Law Firm, has filed its fourth lawsuit against Fig & Olive Inc., d.b.a. Fig & Olive, LLC, a Delaware corporation with its principle office in New York. William D. Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark, is representing Amanda Devian, a Northridge County resident, who fell ill with Salmonella poisoning after consuming food prepared and sold by the Fig & Olive restaurant located at 8490 Melrose Place, West Hollywood. The case number is 2:15-cv-07708.

On September 7, 2015, California resident, Amanda Devian, dined at the West Hollywood location of the Fig & Olive restaurant. She ordered and consumed the Chilean Sea Bass as an entrée, along with several other appetizers, including the mushroom croquette. The following evening, Amanda fell ill with severe gastrointestinal symptoms. The next day, Amanda visited the urgent care clinic, where she was diagnosed with a stomach virus.

Amanda then saw her primary physician, who submitted a stool sample that ultimately tested positive for Salmonella. Two days later, on September 12, Amanda’s symptoms had worsened, and she was seen again at an urgent care clinic and was treated with intravenous fluids. She returned home, but continued to suffer from severe abdominal pains. She again saw her physician on September 14, when she was admitted to the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center for further care and treatment.

Since her discharge from Providence Holy Cross Medical Center on September 17, 2015, she continues to suffer from the effects of her illness. In addition, as a result of doctor’s recommendations, she has been connected to a Gastroenterology Specialist where she will continue to receive treatment, and has been placed on a special diet.

Bill Marler, the food safety attorney representing Amanda, is also involved in three other cases against Fig & Olive, representing victims of the California and Washington DC locations. “A cluster of cases of the same strain of Salmonella are popping up from the Fig & Olive located in Washington DC,” said Marler, who has been exclusively litigating foodborne illness cases for nearly 25 years. “It may well be that there’s a common ingredient that is causing this multi-state problem.”

On or about September 9, 2015, the Washington DC Department of Health (DOH) was notified of a potential foodborne disease outbreak at a Fig & Olive restaurant located in Washington DC. The following day, the restaurant closed for six days, after causing over 60 people to becoming ill. An additional 150 possible cases are being investigated.

Given that there are two simultaneous outbreaks at Fig & Olive restaurant locations in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently become involved in the investigation of these outbreaks, along with officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Salmonella is the second most common foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 1.4 million cases of Salmonella occur each year with 95% of those caused by tainted food. The acute symptoms of Salmonella include the sudden onset of nausea, abdominal cramping, and bloody diarrhea and mucous over a period of days. While there is no cure, infected persons can be treated for dehydration, and usually recover completely, although it may take months. A small number of people experience ongoing symptoms such as joint pain, which can lead to chronic arthritis.

Marler has been an advocate for victims of foodborne illnesses since representing those made sickest by an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 traced back to fast food giant, Jack in the Box. He is currently a driving force for preventative measures in food safety legislation, and has since represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illnesses.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks, and have recovered over $600 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Marler Clark attorneys have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants. The firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against companies such as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.