Plaintiff is one of 60 confirmed illnesses in outbreak tied to food prepared and sold by the Co-op deli – 40 more under investigation.

Ada County residents Randy and Judy Fisher have filed a lawsuit against Boise Consumer Cooperative, Inc., d/b/a Boise Co-op over a severe case of salmonella poisoning Judy suffered after eating at the Co-op’s deli. The Fishers are represented by Robie G. Russell of Russell Law Offices, and William D. Marler of Marler Clark Food Safety Law Firm, LLP. The case code is CV0C1510144.

On June 5, 2015, in the late morning, Randy Fisher purchased a tuna sandwich at the Boise Co-op deli. His wife, Judy, consumed the sandwich at around noon. The very next morning, Judy began to feel unwell while shopping with her husband. She returned home and went to bed, hoping that some rest would help.

Judy awoke at 2 p.m. with extreme chills and intense nausea. She soon began vomiting. The chills were so bad that she put on a coat and wrapped herself in a blanket for around half an hour to get her temperature to a comfortable level. This was on quite a hot day when the outdoor temperature reached 83 degrees.

Soon, the diarrhea set in, and Judy suffered for two days straight. Together with the vomiting and other symptoms, Judy quickly became dehydrated.

Judy finally went to the ER at St. Luke’s Hospital on Wednesday, June 10, where she received intravenous fluids for rehydration. She was sent home with a prescription for Zofran, an anti-nausea drug, and was told to take over-the-counter Imodium AD for the diarrhea.

Judy’s symptoms continued and she paid another visit to the ER on Friday morning. This time she was able to give a stool sample. The hospital once again sent her home with more prescriptions; this time for antibiotics to treat what physicians believed was a severe bacterial infection.

On Saturday, Judy received a call from staff at St. Luke’s and was told that the stool sample she had provided had tested positive for Salmonella. Judy was also interviewed by Idaho Central District Health Department (CDHD) officials. During that conversation, she told them that she had eaten a tuna sandwich from the Boise Co-op on Friday, June 5, 2015.

On June 15, Boise Co-op posted this message on their Facebook page: “We are voluntarily closing our Deli due to the salmonella outbreak investigation currently underway with the Central District Health Department (CDHD). These cases have now been confirmed as linked to food prepared in our Deli. As an added precaution, any foods purchased from our Deli after June 1, 2015 should be discarded.”

“This Co-op is known for its organic foods, including antibiotic and hormone-free meats and eggs. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make them immune to food safety issues,” said Bill Marler, co-founder and partner with Marler Clark. “I do applaud them for taking a proactive approach and shutting down their deli and encouraging customers to throw away purchased products before anyone else can get sick.”

Marler has been an advocate for victims of food borne 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 has represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and is seen as an expert on food safety.

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 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 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.  Our Salmonella lawyers 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 law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.

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, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.