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Last Updated: Oct 29, 2008 - 11:04:25 AM |
A second Georgia lawsuit arising from E. coli tainted meat sourced from
Nebraska Beef Ltd. was filed Friday, just as the beef processing
company recalled another 1.2 million pounds of contaminated meat,
bringing the total recalled in the last thirty days to over 6 million
pounds. The complaint was filed against Nebraska Beef Ltd. in the U.S.
District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Valdosta Division on
behalf of Lillie Ruth and Theron Richter of Colquitt County, Georgia.
A cluster of E. coli illnesses appeared in Colquitt County in late
June, and was traced to the Barbeque Pit in Moultrie, Georgia. The
restaurant closed voluntarily on July 3, and recently re-opened after
almost a month of decontamination. As many as twelve customers of the
Barbeque Pit developed E. coli, and four of the victims have developed
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, or HUS. Mrs. Richter ate at the Barbeque Pit
in Moultrie, GA twice in late June, and by July 1, required
hospitalization. She tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 and remained
in the hospital for a week.
“The first priority is to help these families with their medical bills,
lost employment, and long-term care,” said William Marler, the
Richter’s attorney. “However Nebraska Beef and other meat processors
need to realize that the customers they poison will not sit by and wait
for the next recall. It is clear that the beef industry has dropped the
reins on its food safety protocols—lately there has been a new E. coli
outbreak every week somewhere in the US, and that means more families
grappling with these life-threatening and life-altering illnesses. It
has to stop.”
The Georgia cases have been genetically matched to a multi-state
outbreak, which includes Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, New York, Utah, and
Indiana. The illnesses have been traced to E. coli tainted meat from
Nebraska Beef Ltd. of Omaha, NE, which was a supplier to the Barbeque
Pit in Moultrie. At least 50 have fallen ill in the seven confirmed
states. The new recall is responsible for up to 30 additional
sicknesses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and
Canada. Recalls have also been announced by Whole Foods, Fred Meyer,
City Market and King Soopers.
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