Los Angeles restaurant sickens at least 20 people with Salmonella – Simultaneously, a second Fig & Olive location in Washington D.C. sickens at least 60 people with Salmonella.

As of September 28, 2015, Marler Clark LLP, the Food Safety Law Firm, has filed its third lawsuit against Fig & Olive Inc., d.b.a. Fig & Olive, LLC, a Delaware corporation with its principle office in New York. Bill Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark, is representing Nichole Berteau, a Los Angeles County resident, who fell ill with Salmonella poisoning after consuming food prepared and sold by the Fig & Olive restaurant located at 8490 Melrose Place, West Hollywood. The case number is 15-CV-7581.

On September 9, 2015, Nichole dined at the West Hollywood Fig & Olive restaurant, and ordered the Chilean Sea Bass as an entrée. She also shared several appetizers at her table, including truffle mushroom croquette, sea scallops, and burrata & heirloom tomato caprese. Two days later, on or about September 11, Nichole began to suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms.

On September 15, her symptoms had not subsided, and she visited the emergency room at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Sherman Oaks, CA. There, she was treated for dehydration with intravenous fluids and a potassium supplement. Nichole was released that day, but her symptoms did not improve after her discharge, and decided to return to the same emergency room on September 19, 2015. Nichole was then given antibiotics and admitted to the hospital. She remained hospitalized until September 26 with typical symptoms of Salmonella poisoning, and is currently recovering in the comfort of her own home.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s investigation is ongoing, but it has stated that at least 20 people with Salmonella reported eating at the West Hollywood location of Fig & Olive, three of which were employees.

Meanwhile, on or about September 9, 2015, the Washington DC Department of Health (DOH) was notified of a potential foodborne disease outbreak at a Fig & Olive restaurant located in Washington DC. The following day, the restaurant closed for six days, after causing over 60 people to becoming ill. An additional 150 possible cases are being investigated.

Given that there are two simultaneous outbreaks at Fig & Olive restaurant locations in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently become involved in the investigation of these outbreaks, along with officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Bill Marler, the food safety attorney representing Nichole, is also involved in a third case against Fig & Olive, representing a victim of the Washington DC location. “Salmonella is a nasty bacteria,” said Marler, who has been exclusively litigating foodborne illness cases for nearly 25 years. “The symptoms tend to be more severe with victims whose immune systems are already compromised, such as infants and the elderly, but severe poisonings can really happen to anyone. It’s crucial that restaurants follow strict food safety guidelines to prevent an outbreak like this from even happening.”

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 can be treated for dehydration, and 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 has been an advocate for victims of foodborne 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 is currently a driving force for preventative measures in food safety legislation, and has since represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illnesses.

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