Personal Injury Law

Marler Clark Donates $5,000 to Medway High School on Behalf of Listeria Victim

By Bill Marler, Esq.

A new scholarship at Medway High School has been announced today. The Food Safety Law Firm, Marler Clark, donated $5,000 to found the Powers Family – Marler Clark Scholarship for students who are interested in pursuing higher education in a science field.

The Seattle, Washington-based law firm represents victims of foodborne illness nationwide. In 2009 the firm worked on behalf of the family of John Powers, a World War II veteran and Medway High graduate who died in 2008 from a Listeriosis infection he contracted after drinking Listeria contaminated pasteurized milk.

'This scholarship is intended to honor the memory of a wonderful man and a huge Sox fan,' said Marler Clark Managing Partner, Bill Marler, who noted that Powers (1939), his wife Regina (1943), and their three children, Helen Butcher (1971), Nancy Mandino (1975), and John Powers Jr. (1982) all graduated from Medway High School.

Five Medway High students will benefit from the scholarship donation, which will be awarded in $1,000 increments over five years. 'We want encourage students to consider the sciences in hopes that we can reduce – or one day even eliminate – human illnesses like the Listeriosis infection that took John Powers' life.'

Listeria is the common name for the pathogenic or disease-causing bacterium known as Listeria monocytogenes. It is a foodborne bacterium that, when ingested, causes an infection known as listeriosis. Approximately 2,500 illnesses and 500 deaths are attributed to listeriosis in the United States annually. For more information on Listeria, visit www.about-listeria.com.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on December 20, 2010 (boomark / email).