A Texan couple fell ill after dining at a Red Lobster restaurant in Minnesota; This is the fifth lawsuit filed against Andrew & Williamson by Marler Clark

As of September 14, 2015, Marler Clark, the Food Safety Law Firm based in Seattle, has filed a yet another lawsuit against Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, Inc., this time on behalf of Jack and Lois Stowe. The married couple fell ill after consuming cucumbers contaminated with Salmonella that were imported from Mexico by the San Diego corporation. The case number is C-4671-15-F.

In May of this year, Jack and Lois Stowe, a married couple residing in Mission, Texas, drove northwards to Minnesota to visit their family. On Lois’s birthday, August 7, 2015, Jack took his wife out to lunch at the Maplewood Red Lobster, a suburb of St. Paul. There, they were served a salad that contained cucumbers – the same cucumbers contaminated with Salmonella Poona that were manufactured and distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, Inc.

On August 11, four days after their meal at Red Lobster, Lois began to feel ill. She suffered from nausea, severe diarrhea, and ultimately, dehydration. On the same day, Jack also began to experience similar symptoms.

The next day, Lois’s family rushed her to Cuyuna Regional Medical Center where she was seen in the emergency room, and admitted to the hospital. Lois suffered dehydration-induced kidney failure, and remained in the hospital for eight days to receive IV fluids to help correct her condition. A stool sample was taken, and tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella Poona present in the cucumbers recalled by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce Inc.

After Lois was discharged from the hospital, she was so weak she could hardly walk. Though she has started to regain her strength and hydration, she remains lethargic and has very little appetite. She is currently receiving additional medical treatment for her ongoing injuries.

Meanwhile, Jack continued to feel ill and experience diarrhea throughout Lois’s hospital stay, but chose not to seek medical help as his wife was suffering more intense symptoms and needed priority treatment.

Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce Inc. voluntarily recalled all cucumbers sold that were identified as the source of the Salmonella Poona outbreak on September 4, 2015. The cucumbers, sold under the “Limited Edition” brand label between August 1, 2015 and September 3, 2015, are often referred to as a “slicer” or “American” cucumber, and were imported from Mexico. For more information on the Andrews & Williamson Fresh Produce outbreak, including how to identify the products in question, please visit: http://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/285-in-27-states-linked-tmexican-cucumbers-1-death/#.Ve28bZ3BzRY.

Bill Marler, food safety attorney representing Jack and Lois Stowe, has already been contacted by over a dozen victims affected by this outbreak. This is the fifth lawsuit Marler has filed against Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce Inc., and he notes that this isn’t the first time he’s had problems with contaminated cucumbers originating in Mexico.

Within just the last three years, there have been three major outbreaks tied to Salmonella-tainted cucumbers that have left a total of 700 people sick and three people dead. “This particular Salmonella outbreak has already affected over 300 victims,” Marler said, “And unfortunately, the numbers keep increasing.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an increase of 56 cases of illness have been reported since the last update on September 4, 2015. As of September 8, 2015, 341 people have been infected with Salmonella Poona from 30 different states. 70 victims have been hospitalized, and two deaths have now been reported from California (1) and Texas (1).

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 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 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.