(Seattle) The Seattle-based food safety law firm, Marler Clark, filed a Salmonella lawsuit (2:12-cv-01508) today against Splendid Products of Burlingame, California, the distributor of Daniella mangoes that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Center for Disease Control and Prevention have identified as the source of a nationwide Salmonella Braenderup outbreak in August 2012. To date the Salmonella Braenderup outbreak has sickened 204 in California (80), Delaware (1), Hawaii (3), Idaho (1), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Michigan (1), Montana (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (1), New York (3), Oregon (1), Texas (2), Washington (6), and Wisconsin (1). Canada has reported 21 ill thus far – British Columbia (16) and Alberta (5). The lawsuit was filed in the Western District Court of Washington at Seattle on behalf of 92- year-old Dorothy Pearce of Stanwood, Washington.

According to the complaint, in late August 2012 Ms. Pearce consumed a Salmonella-contaminated Daniella brand mango that had been distributed and sold by Splendid Products. Ms. Pearce fell ill on August 20, 2012 and over the next two days suffered from a variety of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and severe stomach cramping. She was admitted to Providence Hospital on August 22, 2012 where lab tests confirm she had Salmonella and that the serotype was Salmonella Braenderup, which is the serotype associated with the Daniella mango outbreak. As of September 5, 2012 Ms. Pearce is still being hospitalized.

“Mangoes have been linked in the past to Salmonella outbreaks, but this one is larger and more widespread,” said William Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. This mango outbreak also comes on the heels of a Salmonella outbreak linked to Indiana-grown cantaloupe that has sickened 204 in 22 States and killed 2 in Kentucky. “Fresh fruit growers, shippers and sellers need to pay more attention to details so their products do not reach consumers contaminated,” added Marler.

Marler Clark is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of foodborne illnesses, including Salmonella. The firm’s Salmonella lawyers have been litigating foodborne illness cases since the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, and have obtained over $600,000,000 in settlements and verdicts for victims of Salmonella, E. coli, and other outbreaks. For more information, or if you are a member of the media and would like a copy of the complaint, please contact Suzanne Schreck sschreck@marlerclark.com or (206) 346-1888.