Listeria Wrongful Death Cases Studied
Listeria wrongful death cases in the United States most often are sporadic, meaning they are not part of an identified outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes. But in the first half of last year in Louisiana, two Listeria deaths were recorded in an outbreak traced to hog head cheese made by a small Louisiana firm.
National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., has handled many Listeria cases, including several that resulted in multi-million dollar claims. One of those was for a couple that lost a pregnancy and the ability to get pregnant again. Another case was for an active, vibrant retiree who suffered severe illness for about a year before his Listeria death culminated the family's tragedy. In both cases, contaminated ready-to-eat meat was the cause of infection.
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.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an in-depth look at the Louisiana outbreak, which sickened a total of eight people with the same, genetically matched strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Seven of the eight were hospitalized and two of those patients died. Symptoms included altered mental status, diarrhea, vomiting and weakness.
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The CDC said this was the first report of a listeriosis outbreak associated with the consumption of hog head cheese. But ready-to-eat meats are a recognized vehicle for Listeria infection and hog head cheese falls into that category. It is a meat jelly made of swine heads and feet). The USDA has a zero tolerance for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in ready-to-eat meats because outbreaks can be so likely. That means any product contaminated with the pathogen is legally considered adulterated and the maker is liable even if food safety practices were in place. This lowers the burder of proof for poisoning victims who seek to recover compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, lost earning capacity and other harms.
At the time of the outbreak, Veron Foods in Prairieville, Louisiana, recalled 500,000 pounds of hogs head cheese and sausage. The small, state-inspected firm makes 600 pounds of hog head cheese a week. Listeria matching the outbreak strain was found at the plant -- the second Listeria recall in three years at Veron.
The sick people lived in Orleans, Jefferson, Tangipahoa, Terrebone, Ascension, St. John and Lafayette parishes, according to the state health department.
Listeria is an organism that causes gastrointestinal disease in healthy people. If the infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.In immune-deficient individuals, Listeria can invade the central nervous system, causing meningitis and/or encephalitis (brain infection). Listeria-Infected pregnant women ordinarily experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.
