First Lawsuit against Costco for E. coli Allegedly from Chicken Salad Filed by Pritzker|Olsen Law Firm
Bozeman, Montana (PRWEB) December 01, 2015 -- Today, a lawsuit was filed against Costco Wholesale Corporation and Taylor Fresh Foods, Inc. (“Taylor Farms”) by attorneys Ryan Osterholm and Brendan Flaherty, of the Pritzker|Olsen law firm. It was filed on behalf of a woman (Plaintiff) claiming she was sickened in an outbreak of E. coli illnesses allegedly linked to “Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad” made with Taylor Farms celery. The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Montana (Case No. 2:15-cv-00076-SEH).
On October 18, 2015, Plaintiff purchased a Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad from the Costco Wholesale store in Bozeman, Montana, according to the Complaint filed in the case. The lawsuit alleges the salad purchased by Plaintiff was manufactured by Costco using a celery product distributed by Taylor Farms.
On November 2, 2015, Plaintiff developed symptoms of an E. coli infection, including bloody diarrhea, according to the complaint. She sought medical treatment. Testing determined she had an E. coli O157:H7 infection.
“Through this case we hope to shed light on where, when, and how so many people contracted E. coli infections, and ultimately to stop it from happening again,” said attorney Flaherty.
According to the lawsuit, Plaintiff’s illness is part of a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad. As of November 30, 2015, 19 people from 7 states have allegedly been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7, including at least 6 in Montana and two who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments were first alerted to a cluster of related E. coli O157:H7 infections in November of 2015.
Interviews of people sickened linked the cases to consumption of Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad purchased from Costco wholesale stores, according to the Complaint.
As part of the investigation, the Montana Department of Health tested a “Celery and Onion Diced Blend” distributed by Taylor Farms used in the Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad linked to E. coli illnesses, according to the suit. The test on the Celery and Onion Diced Blend was allegedly positive for E. coli O157:H7.
On November 26, 2015, Taylor Farms recalled multiple products containing celery, according to the Complaint.
Attorneys Ryan Osterholm and Brendan Flaherty represent people throughout the United States who have been sickened in outbreaks of E. coli food poisoning. They can be contacted at 1-888-377-8900 and are available for free case consultations. Pritzker|Olsen is a national food safety law firm with offices centrally located at 45 South 7th Street, Suite 2950, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402.
Brendan Flaherty, PritzkerOlsen, P.A., http://www.pritzkerlaw.com, +1 (612) 338-0202, [email protected]
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