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Food Safety Law Firm Files Lawsuit in Nestle E. Coli Recall

Neblett, Beard & Arsenault Hired By Victims Sickened By E. Coli

ATLANTA, GA – 6/24/09 – In Fulton County, Georgia, a lawsuit has been filed in Superior Court on behalf of a 7-year-old Georgia girl who developed E. Coli after handling and baking Nestle Toll House cookies with her grandfather.  The suit was filed by the girl’s attorneys Richard J. Arsenault and J. R. Whaley, of food safety law firm Neblett, Beard & Arsenault, and attorney Brian Cigelske, of the Carterville, GA based law firm, McCain Cigelske.

“E. coli O157:H7 in any food product is unacceptable, but in cookies, it’s particularly problematic because many of the consumers are very young.  They are a population that is particularly vulnerable to the most tragic consequences of the E .coli poisoning,” said food safety lawyer Richard J. Arsenault.
Neblett, Beard & Arsenault has been contacted by many victims associated with this outbreak and is gathering information through the FDA, CDC and other health and safety organizations on behalf of their clients.

“Our firm has been contacted by many consumers that suspect they’ve been similarly exposed. We will continue to investigate and carefully evaluate each and every contact we receive,” Arsenault said.
According to the CDC, 70 people in 30 states have become sickened with a particular strain of E. coli 0157:H7 between March and June 2009.  Of those interviewed by health investigators, most patients reported handling Nestle Toll House cookie dough products.

E. coli 0157:H7, is an especially dangerous, sometimes deadly strain of the E. Coli bacteria.  E. coli 0157:H7 can cause intestinal bleeding, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, extreme nausea and cramping.   E. coli infection can also cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a sometimes fatal secondary condition that destroys red blood cells and causes renal failure.  E. coli infection and HUS are especially dangerous to children; shockingly two-thirds of the victims in this outbreak are under the age of 19.

“This type of recall shakes the public’s confidence in our food supply.  It’s imperative that the safety of our food become a top priority.  E Coli is a dangerous illness and right now it’s attacking many of our most vulnerable citizens,” concluded Arsenault.

About Neblett, Beard & Arsenault

 Neblett, Beard & Arsenault is a nationally recognized law firm with over 25 years representing victims across the country in food borne illness and other injury litigation. Arsenault and his partners have secured billions of dollars in recoveries for injury victims. Arsenault has represented victims in some of the nation’s largest litigation and was recognized by the National Law Journal for securing one of the largest individual injury verdicts in the U.S.  The firm actively represents victims of food borne illness litigation including those affected by the recent Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) salmonella outbreak.