Attorneys at Marler Clark recently amended a complaint on behalf of an E. coli O157:H7 victim to include Vaughn Foods, the distributor of the lettuce that has been identified as the source of the outbreak. 

The CDC last updated its report on the outbreak, now linked to 60 illnesses in 10 states, on December 7, 2011.  37 of the confirmed illnesses are in Missouri, and have been linked to lettuce in salads at Schnucks grocery stores.

The agribusiness publication The Packer quoted Bill Marler on the amending of the complaint to add Vaughns and additional parties up the distribution chain:, “We’re going to keep working our way back up stream to find out who they are.”

The lawsuit includes counts against four “John Doe’s,” meaning that when the grower or other distributors are identied, they too can be added to the litigation.