Marler Clark calls on Boar’s Head to pay medical bills and lost wages of Listeria victims

Bill Marler, food safety advocate and foodborne illness attorney since 1993, whose Seattle law firm, Marler Clark’s work was recently profiled in the Netflix documentary “Poisoned,” The Dirty Truth about your Food, is calling on Boar’s Head to pay the medical bills and lost wages of the victims of the deli outbreak in the United States that has so far sickened 34, killing two.

We are hearing about deaths in Illinois and New Jersey and illnesses in 13 states: Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Massachusetts (2), Maryland (6), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), North Carolina (1), New Jersey (2), New York (12), Pennsylvania (1), Virginia (2) and Wisconsin (1). As of July 26, 2024, a total of 34 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 13 states. Sick people’s samples were collected from May 29, 2024, to July 12, 2024. Of 33 people with information available, all 33 have been hospitalized. One person got sick during their pregnancy and remained pregnant after recovering. Two deaths have been reported, 1 in Illinois and 1 in New Jersey. Epidemiologic data show that meats sliced at delis may be contaminated with Listeria and may be making people sick. Testing identified Listeria in an unopened package of Boar’s Head liverwurst collected as part of this investigation, which resulted in a recall.

“Unfortunately, those numbers will likely rise in the coming week,”  Marler said. “The cost of treating victims of Listeria infections can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, or in a severe case, even in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. These families need Boar’s Head to do more than promise to cooperate in the investigation into this outbreak. They need to know that Boar’s Head intends to fulfill their corporate responsibility by looking out for their customers,” added Marler.

Marler noted that over the last two decades in other outbreak-situations, companies such as Chi-Chi’s, Dole, Jack in the Box, Conagra, Odwalla and Sheetz advanced medical costs for outbreak victims whose illnesses were traced to their food products.

William “Bill” Marler has been a food safety lawyer and advocate since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box E. coli Outbreak which was chronicled in the book, “Poisoned” and in the recent Netflix documentary by the same name. Bill work has been profiled in the New Yorker, “A Bug in the System;” the Seattle Times, “30 years after the deadly E. colioutbreak, A Seattle attorney still fights for food safety;” the Washington Post, “He helped make burgers safer, Now he is fighting food poisoning again;” and several others.. Dozens of times a year Bill speaks to industry and government throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, China and Australia on why it is important to prevent foodborne illnesses.  He is also a frequent commentator on food litigation and food safety on Marler Blog. Bill is also the publisher of Food Safety News.

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.