In a report issued today, New York State Health Department officials confirmed that 45 persons to date have become infected with an outbreak strain of  Salmonella Typhimurium linked to the consumption of contaminated peanut butter and peanut products manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America and Kellogg Company.  The majority of the illnesses are related to [...]

Although the recent Peanut Butter salmonella outbreak appears to be coming to an end (new illness onsets have slowed dramatically), we continue to be contacted by individuals and families across the United States who contracted Salmonella Typhimurium after consuming peanut butter and peanut products.  We are actively prosecuting these claims in courts across the United States.  Below is an update on the status of the [...]

We continue to be contacted by individuals across the United States who contracted Salmonella Typhimurium from peanut butter and peanut products.  We are actively pursuing these claims against Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), Kellogg Company, and Kanan Enterprises, Inc.  Below is an update on the status of the peanut litigation. Overview of the Peanut Butter Outbreak Officials at [...]

I had the opportunity to investigate first-hand the PCA peanut processing plant in Blakely, Georgia yesterday.  This plant was the subject of the recent peanut butter salmonella recall that sickened 691 people and killed 9.  Below is the NBC videotape of my investigation, which showed rats, insects, roaches, standing water and roof leaks inside the plant [...]

April 9, 2009   – The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) has assessed $14.6 million in administrative penalties against a Texas peanut plant owner Plainview Peanut Co., LLC, (PPC) for alleged violations of state food safety regulations.  PPC is owned by Peanut Corporation of America - a now bankrupt company that is at the heart [...]

Several of my clients - along with members of the media – have asked the legitimate question “How will the victims of the peanut butter salmonella outbreak be compensated if Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) is in bankruptcy?”  Well – here is the answer. PCA has $24,000,000 in insurance from The Hartford Insurance Company which is specifically [...]

I just returned from Georgia after meeting with two of my all-time favorite clients – Barbara and Claude Ivester.  Claude is 74 years old and has been married to Barbara for 50 years.  They live in a little town named Dewy Rose, Georgia, which is about 115 miles east of Atlanta. We were all asked to give [...]

The current Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) peanut butter / peanut product recall is eerily similar to the ConAgra / Peter Pan peanut butter recall of 2007.    So why did Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) fail to learn from the prior outbreak?   Just look at the similarities: Both involve peanut manufacturing plants in rural Georgia. Both involve [...]

Salmonella is nasty stuff.  It makes you sick when you eat foods that contain it.  And it originates from one source – the feces of birds and animals.  So how did salmonella get into the peanut butter and peanut paste manufactured by Peanut Corporation of American (PCA) and distributed to hundreds of companies nationwide?  That’s [...]