An accomplished personal injury lawyer and national expert in foodborne illness litigation, William Marler has been a major force in food safety policy in the United States and abroad. He and his partners at Marler Clark have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused serious injury and death. His advocacy for better food regulation has led to invitations to address local, national, and international gatherings on food safety, including recent testimony to US Congress Committee on Energy and Commerce. Marler Clark is considered the nation’s foremost law firm representing victims of foodborne illness and other serious personal injuries.
William Marler began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, resulting in her landmark $15.6 million settlement. Marler has focused his practice on representing individuals in litigation resulting from E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, hepatitis A, and other food contamination cases. He has represented victims of nearly every large foodborne illness outbreak in the United States against such companies as Wholesale Club, Chili’s, Chi-Chi’s, ConAgra, Dole, Excel, Golden Corral, KFC, Sheetz, Sizzler, Supervalu, and Wendy’s, securing over $600,000,000 for his clients.
Mr. Marler travels widely to speak to food industry groups, fair associations, and public health groups about the litigation of claims resulting from outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria and viruses and the issues surrounding it. He is also a frequent writer on topics related to foodborne illness. His articles include “Separating the Chaff from the Wheat: How to Determine the Strength of a Foodborne Illness Claim”, “Food Claims and Litigation”, How to Keep Your Focus on Food Safety, and “How to Document a Food Poisoning Case” (co-authored with David Babcock.) His blog, www.marlerblog.com is avidly read by the food safety and legal communities.
2011 – More Stomach Churning Facts About E. coli
New York Times, Mark Bittman, June 8.
2011 – Bill Marler: A Personal Injury Attorney and More
The Xemplar, Nicole Black, June 1
2011 – Good Food Hero: Bill Marler, Food Safety Attorney
Good Food World, Gail Nickel-Kailing, May 23
2011 – Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat
Inspire Books, Jeff Benedict, May 15.
2011 – New Book Chronicles Islander, Marler’s Work
Bainbridge Island Review, Connie Mears, May 13.
2010 – Food Safety Lawyer Puts His Money Where Your Mouth Is
AOL News, Andrew Schneider, September 29
2009 – Food Safety Lawyer’s Wish: Put Me Out of Business
Seattle Times, Maureen O’Hagan, November 23
2009 – WSU Discourse on Food Safety, Courtesy Seattle Lawyer
Kitsap Sun, Tristan Baurick, August 29
2009 – When Food Sickens, He Heads for Courthouse
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Matt McKinney, June 24
2009 – Bill Marler, The Food-Safety Litigator
Culinate, Miriam Wolf, April
2009 – Food Fight:Bill Marler’s Beef (PDF)
Washington Law & Politics, David Volk, May
2009 – Candidate for Top FSIS Job talks E. coli Testing, Irradiation, Education
The Meating Place, Ann Bagel Storck, February 6
2009 – Five Minutes with Bill Marler, Well Known Lawyer, Food Safety Activist
CattleNetwork, Chuck Jolley, February 5
2009 – Heath Surveillance the Key to Fresh Produce
The Packer, Tom Karst, February 3
2008 – Seattle Food Contamination Expert in China as Tainted Milk Sickens Thousands of Kids
Seattle Health Examiner, September 23
2008 – E. Coli Lawyer Is Busier Than Ever
Associated Press, February 4
2007 – Legally Speaking: The Food Poisoning Lawyer
The Southeast Texas Record, John G. Browning, November 20
2007 – The Nation’s Leading Food-borne Illness Attorney Tells All
Washington State Magazine, Hannelore Sudermann, August
2007 – Back to Court: Burst of E. coli Cases Returns Jack in the Box Litigator to the Scene
Meat and Poultry News, Steve Bjerklie, June 8
2007 – Food Fight
Portland Oregonian, Alex Pulaski, March
2007 – Mr. Food Illness Esquire
QSR Magazine, Fred Minnick, February
2006 – Seattle Attorney Dominates Food-Borne Illness Litigation
KPLU, October 20
2006 – How a Tiny Law Firm Made Hay Out of Tainted Spinach
The Wall Street Journal, Heather Won Tesoriero and Peter Lattman, September 27
2005 – Bill Marler – Education Holds Key in Tainted Food Fight
King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin, Ross Anderson, November
2001 – THE INSIDE STORY: How 11 Schoolkids Got $4.75 Million in E. coli Lawsuit
MeatingPlace.com, Bryan Salvage, March 7
2001 – Hammer Time: Preparation Pays When Disputes Escalate to Lawsuits
Meat & Poultry Magazine, David Hendee
2001 – For Seattle Attorney, A Bacterium Brings Riches—and Enemies
The Wall Street Journal, Rachel Zimmerman
2001 – The Bug That Ate The Burger
Los Angeles Times, Emily Green, June
1999 – Courting Publicity, Attorney Makes Safe Food His Business
Seattle Post, Maggie Leung, September 7