The salmonella lawyers at Simon & Luke continue to prosecute cases from the West Coast outbreak of rare Salmonella Rissen which sickened citizens in 5 states. The current illness count has now risen to 90, and is distributed as follows: California (68), Nevada (10), Oregon (8), Washington (3), and Idaho (1). Illness onsets range from September 16, 2008 to May 22, 2009. Twenty-two persons have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
The Outbreak Investigation
On March 27, Oregon State Public Health officials isolated Salmonella Rissen from containers of ground white and black pepper collected from a restaurant where one of the contaminated patients had eaten prior to illness onset. DNA testing on the samples later confirmed that the salmonella found in the pepper matched the outbreak strain of Salmonella Rissen. The pepper was manufactured under the Lian How label manufactured by Union International Food Company of Union City, California, and imported from Thailand by Harris & Freeman and Co., of Anaheim, California.
Subsequently, officials discovered that Lian How white pepper was used by several Asian restaurants were patients had reported eating prior to their illness onset. This included the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada where 10 contaminated persons ate within a five month period. Testing on white pepper taken from the restaurant revealed another Salmonella Rissen isolate.
The investigation also revealed a cluster of 16 Salmonella Rissen patients that had one thing in common – that they had recently eaten at one of the Northern California Kaiser hospitals. The California Department of Public Health subsequently received confirmation that the food service that prepared the pre-packaged meals for these hospitals had used Lian How brand white pepper.
The CDPH, FDA, and Union International began testing production surfaces and stored product at the company’s manufacturing plant in Union City. On April 7, the test results were published and revealed over 50 positive salmonella samples. Those samples came from numerous locations in the pepper grinding room (grinding machine, platform areas, mixer, funnel, and weighing scales) and also from ground white and black pepper in bulk bins.
As a result of these findings, Union Foods ceased the production and distribution of the contaminated spices while the FDA and California Department of Public Health continued to investigate the nature and full extent of the outbreak. The contaminated spices were also recalled by notifying over 2000 retailers and restaurants that received the contaminated products.
Simon & Luke files first spice lawsuit
On May 5, Simon & Luke filed the first lawsuit in the United States country relating to this outbreak. The suit was filed in Los Angeles County, California on behalf of David Navarrette, a San Pedro resident who consumed food containing the contaminated spices at the buffet at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. Shortly thereafter, he became violently ill. DNA testing has since confirmed that he contracted the exact strain of Salmonella Rissen isolated from Lian How white pepper collected from the restaurant. Nine other consumers who ate at the restaurant over a five month period also contracted this exact strain of salmonella.
“We are going to determine how these spices became contaminated to make sure it does not happen again” said attorney Ron Simon, who filed the lawsuit and represents other victims of the outbreak.
About Salmonella Rissen
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control, on average only 7 Salmonella Rissen cases are reported in the United States every year, making Salmonella Rissen one of the most rare serotypes of Salmonella isolated in American citizens. This serotype is more commonly found in other countries, particularly Thailand, where the spices involved in this outbreak were grown.
About Simon & Luke
Ron Simon & Simon & Luke have handled over 2000 food poisoning cases in the past 2 years alone, recovering over $400,000,000 for their clients. Simon & Luke already represents several of the victims of the Salmonella Rissen outbreak. If you have tested positive for Salmonella Rissen, call us toll-free today at 1-888-335-4901 for a free consultation on your legal rights. You may be entitled to significant compensation for your illness.
