Marler Clark represents the families of 44 victims of the 2011 Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe grown by Jensen Farms.  The law firm has pursued compensation from Jensen Farms, the firms that audited the farm’s food safety practices, the companies that distributed the Listeria-contaminated cantaloupes and the retailers that sold the unsafe food.

Jensen Farms declared Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on May 25, 2012.  All Marler Clark clients’ claims with Jensen Farms were resolved through the bankruptcy proceedings; however, claims against other parties have yet to be resolved.  Therefore, Marler Clark has filed or amended lawsuits on behalf of all 44 families in July and August of 2013.  Those lawsuits were brought against multiple defendants in courts from 12 states.  They are filed on behalf of the families of 27 people who died and 17 people who survived.  The total medical expenses to date are in excess of $12,000,000.

All defendants named are entities who participated in the manufacture, distribution, and/or sale of the Listeria contaminated cantaloupe that caused injury.

Lawsuits have been filed in the following states:

The Jensen Farms Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak

On September 2, 2011, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) announced that it was investigating an outbreak of Listeriosis.  By September 9, CDPHE had determined that the likely source of the Listeria outbreak was cantaloupe; on September 12, the public health agency stated that the cantaloupe had been grown in the Rocky Ford growing region of Colorado.  It was later determined that the contaminated cantaloupes were grown by Jensen Farms of Holly, Colorado.

Jensen Farms recalled its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes on September 14, 2011, in response to the multi-state outbreak of listeriosis.

On September 19, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it found Listeria monocytogenes in samples of Jensen Farms’ Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupe taken from a Denver-area store and on samples taken from equipment and cantaloupe at the Jensen Farms packing facility. Tests confirmed that the Listeria monocytogenes found in the samples matched one of the multiple strains of Listeria monocytogenes associated with the multi-state outbreak of listeriosis.

By the time the Listeria outbreak was over, a total of 147 persons from 28 states had been infected with 5 outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes.

  • 142 Listeria outbreak victims were hospitalized.
  • 33 people died.
  • 1 woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage
  • 7 of the illnesses were related to a pregnancy; 3 were diagnosed in newborns and 4 were diagnosed in pregnant women.

Listeria: Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Listeria outbreaks. The Listeria lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Listeria 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 Listeria lawyers have litigated Listeria cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, cheese, celery and milk. Marler Clark is presently representing 44 victims and their families in the 2011 Jensen Farms Listeria cantaloupe outbreak and 2 women, one who lost her child in the 2012 Marte brand Frescolina ricotta salata cheese Listeria outbreak.

If you or a family member became ill with a Listeria infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Listeria attorneys for a free case evaluation.