In September 2020, Louisiana Department of Health officials investigated a hepatitis A case, dating from early to mid-August 2020, linked to one of New Orleans’s most famous fine- dining restaurants, Galatoire’s in the French Quarter. In a statement released Wednesday, September 23, 2020, Galatoire’s said “a potential incident” of hepatitis A exposure at the restaurant occurred sometime in “early to mid-August.” Dominique Falcon, the spokesperson for the restaurant, declined to say how many people had been infected, or if the illness was identified in a staff member or a guest.

The restaurant’s statement says that, following the notification, “we embraced the assistance of the Department of Health and together outlined steps Galatoire’s could take to be as responsive as possible for our team and our guests. We acted on the Office’s recommendations immediately.” The restaurant has since undergone a standard inspection by the Department of Health, on September 17, and passed. The restaurant also said it asked about “any additional activities we could take in situations like these” and has since had all employees vaccinated based on the state’s recommendation. The incident is among the 1,244 cases of hepatitis A recorded in the state since January 1, 2018. Four people have died, and 60% of known infections have required hospitalization.

Hepatitis A:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $800 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food.  The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Costco, Subway, McDonald’s, Red Robin, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl’s Jr.  We proudly represented the family of Donald Rockwell, who died after consuming Hepatitis A tainted food and Richard Miller, who required a liver transplant after eating food at a Chi-Chi’s restaurant.

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