Health Law

Taco Bell hit with third Salmonella Lawsuit in Michigan

By Bill Marler

A food poisoning lawsuit was filed in Muskegon County Circuit Court on behalf of Salmonella victim Gary Erdman today against Yum Brands, Inc., parent company of Taco Bell and Chicago Diversified Foods Corporation, the franchisor of a Whitehall Taco Bell restaurant.

According to complaint the filed by the Seattle-based food safety law firm Marler Clark and Trenton, Mich. based Counard & Heilmann, Erdman was made ill in June 2010 after consuming food from a Taco Bell in Whitehall Michigan. He later tested positive for Salmonella Baildon, a rare strain of Salmonella.

'Mr. Erdman has endured large hospital bills and great deal of unnecessary pain and suffering, said Marler Clark attorney David Babcock. 'He is entitled to be compensated for what he has lost as a result of the defendant's conduct.'

This is the third lawsuit filed by Marler Clark in relation to a nationwide 2010 Salmonella outbreak that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says made at least 155 people ill in 21 states. Two strains of Salmonella were implicated in the outbreak: Salmonella Hartford and Salmonella Baildon. The Salmonella Hartford outbreak caused 75 illnesses; the Salmonella Bialdon outbreak caused 80 illnesses.

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes one of the most common intestinal infections in the United States – Salmonellosis. A Salmonella infection is characterized by diarrhea, which may be bloody, stomach cramps, and vomiting. In rare cases, a Salmonella infection can lead to reactive arthritis.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on February 02, 2011 (boomark / email).