In Palm Beach County Court and Palm Beach Circuit Court, Florida, 19 more defective products lawsuits have been filed against ConAgra Foods by plaintiffs that say they contracted salmonella after eating the company’s peanut butter.
ConAgra Foods recalled its Great Value and Peter Pan peanut butters over a year ago following a salmonella outbreak that occurred throughout the US. The Nebraska-based company says a roof leak and a faulty head in its fire sprinkler system is what caused the bacteria to grow in its Georgia plant.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the Salmonella outbreak affected about 600 people. The food manufacturing company has already been named as a defendant in numerous other personal injury lawsuits. Thousands of other people may have gotten sick from the tainted peanut butter, but the CDC says that it cannot confirm any cases where there were no stool samples.
In Florida, damages for circuit court cases are capped at $75,000 if the defendant is a corporation based outside the state. County Court damages have a $15,000 cap.
Tainted foods are one of many products that can be cause for a defective products lawsuit if serious injury or death results from eating the contaminated food items.
While most Salmonella cases last four to seven days and do not need medical intervention, some people with Salmonella can have diarrhea serious enough to warrant hospitalization. Serious Salmonella cases can even spread to the blood stream, the intestines, and result in death.
If you or someone you love was seriously injured by a contaminated food or by a defective or dangerous household appliance, electrical appliance, motor vehicle, toy, nursery product, piece of clothing, firearm, medical device, prescription drug, piece of furniture, or another product, one of our products liability lawyers can meet with you to discuss your case.
Tainted peanut butter spurs 19 lawsuits in Palm Beach County, Sun-Sentinel.com, July 1, 2008
Salmonellosis, CDC.gov
Related Web Resources:
US Food and Drug Administration
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