William (Bill) Marler has become the most prominent foodborne illness lawyer in America and a major force in food policy in the U.S. and around the world. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, has represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused life altering injury and even death.
He began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the historic Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, in her landmark $15.6 million settlement with the company. The 2011 book, Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat, by best-selling author Jeff Benedict, chronicles the Jack in the Box outbreak and the rise of Bill Marler as a food safety attorney.
Bill is available to help explain the likely cause of this recent E. coli O157:H7 outbreak and to put the safety of our food supply in context.
Last night the CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and FDA reported that they are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. A total of eight people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Three of the eight ill people have been hospitalized, including one person who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. A day earlier, Canadian health authorities reported 16 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 illness linked to the same product in the following provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Four individuals have been hospitalized.
Information collected to date indicates that Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp chopped salad kits are a likely source of this outbreak.
The investigation is ongoing to determine which ingredient in the salad was contaminated. Romaine lettuce is one of the ingredients in the salad kit.
Since 2017 there been over 500 people in the U.S. and Canada who have suffered E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to leafy greens grown in the U.S. Of these, nearly 200 have been hospitalized with 50 suffering hemolytic uremic syndrome (acute kidney failure). There have been seven reported deaths.
E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with lettuce, specifically the “pre-washed” and “ready-to-eat” varieties, are by no means a new phenomenon. In fact, the frequency with which this country’s fresh produce consuming public has been hit by outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria is astonishing. Here is just a sample of E. coli outbreaks based on information gathered by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Kansas State University, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Date | Vehicle | Etiology | Confirmed Cases |
States/Provinces |
July 1995 | Lettuce (leafy green; red; romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 74 | 1:MT |
Sept. 1995 | Lettuce (romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 20 | 1:ID |
Sept. 1995 | Lettuce (iceberg) | E. coli O157:H7 | 30 | 1:ME |
Oct. 1995 | Lettuce (iceberg; unconfirmed) | E. coli O157:H7 | 11 | 1:OH |
May-June 1996 | Lettuce (mesclun; red leaf) | E. coli O157:H7 | 61 | 3:CT, IL, NY |
May 1998 | Salad | E. coli O157:H7 | 2 | 1:CA |
Feb.-Mar. 1999 | Lettuce (iceberg) | E. coli O157:H7 | 72 | 1:NE |
Oct. 1999 | Salad | E. coli O157:H7 | 92 | 3:OR, PA, OH |
Oct. 2000 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 6 | 1:IN |
Nov. 2001 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 20 | 1:TX |
July-Aug. 2002 | Lettuce (romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 29 | 2:WA, ID |
Nov. 2002 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 13 | 1:Il |
Dec. 2002 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 3 | 1:MN |
Oct. 2003-May 2004 | Lettuce (mixed salad) | E. coli O157:H7 | 57 | 1:CA |
Apr. 2004 | Spinach | E. coli O157:H7 | 16 | 1:CA |
Nov. 2004 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 6 | 1:NJ |
Sept. 2005 | Lettuce (romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 32 | 3:MN, WI, OR |
Sept. 2006 | Spinach (baby) | E. coli O157:H7 and other serotypes | 205 | Multistate and Canada |
Nov./Dec. 2006 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 71 | 4:NY, NJ, PA, DE |
Nov./Dec. 2006 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 81 | 3:IA, MN, WI |
July 2007 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 26 | 1:AL |
May 2008 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 9 | 1:WA |
Oct. 2008 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 59 | Multistate and Canada |
Nov. 2008 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 130 | Canada |
Sept. 2009 | Lettuce: Romaine or Iceberg | E. coli O157:H7 | 29 | Multistate |
Sept. 2009 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 10 | Multistate |
April 2010 | Romaine | E. coli O145 | 33 | 5:MI, NY, OH, PA, TN |
Oct. 2011 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 60 | Multistate |
April 2012 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 28 |
1:CA Canada |
June 2012 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 52 | Multistate |
Sept. 2012 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 9 | 1:PA |
Oct. 2012 | Spinach and Spring Mix Blend | E. coli O157:H7 | 33 | Multistate |
Apr. 2013 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 14 | Multistate |
Aug. 2013 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 15 | 1:PA |
Oct. 2013 | Ready-To-Eat Salads | E. coli O157:H7 | 33 | Multistate |
Apr. 2014 | Romaine | E. coli O126 | 4 | 1:MN |
Apr. 2015 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O145 | 7 | 3:MD, SC, VA |
June 2016 | Mesclun Mix | E. coli O157:H7 | 11 | 3:IL, MI, WI |
Nov. 2017 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 67 | Multistate and Canada |
Mar. 2018 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 219 | Multistate and Canada |
Nov. 2018 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 88 | Multistate and Canada |
Sept. 2019 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 23 | Multistate |
Nov. 2019 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 104 | Multistate and Canada |
Additional Resources
Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of E. coli outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The E. coli lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $700 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our E. coli lawyers have litigated E. coli and HUS cases stemming from outbreaks traced to ground beef, raw milk, lettuce, spinach, sprouts, and other food products. The law firm has brought E. coli lawsuits against such companies as Jack in the Box, Dole, ConAgra, Cargill, and Jimmy John’s. We have proudly represented such victims as Brianne Kiner, Stephanie Smith and Linda Rivera.
If you or a family member became ill with an E. coli infection or HUS after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark E. coli attorneys for a free case evaluation.