Victims Of Salmonella-Contaminated Peanut Butter To Receive $12 Million

On the heels of a nationwide recall of salmonella-contaminated eggs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal judge has recommended that the Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America pay out a $12 million settlement to the victims of the salmonella outbreak linked to its peanut processing plants last year. The epidemic was responsible for hundreds of cases of food-borne illness, including 9 fatalities and 45 cases of illness among children, resulting in over 120 personal injury claims against the company.

Salmonella poisoning can take a tremendous toll on the life of an individual.  The victims often endure severe pain, which prevents them from working and may result in debts from lost wages. Those with weakened immune systems—the very young and the very old—often fare even worse.

As last year’s salmonella-poisoning victims prepare to settle their personal injury claims, this year’s are still recovering—physically and financially—from their encounters with contaminated eggs. To date, 380 million eggs have been recalled, with cases of illness being reported in California, Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.

All of these salmonella-poisoning incidents share one variable in common: Iowa. 95% of the country’s eggs come from two massive farms in Iowa, Wright County Farms and Hillandale Farms. The link between producer and point of distribution is especially salient in California, where nearly 300 cases of salmonella poisoning have been reported and over 40% of the eggs came from Iowa, specifically, Hillandale Farms.

“Over the past few months, our firm has received a high volume of inquiries by salmonella-poisoning victims into personal injury claims,” noted California injury attorney James Ballidis.
In response to this demand for information about personal injury claims involving food poisoning, California injury lawyer James Ballidis wrote an informative article on food poisoning victims’ rights, "Eggs And Fruit Blamed As Salmonella Sickens Hundreds Of Californians. Do Food Poisoning Victims Have Legal Rights?".

In the meantime, Virginians should avoid recalled eggs.