2008-07-27 05:26:03 -

- The Minneapolis, MN food safety law firm of Pritzker / Ruohonen & Associates, P.A., has been retained by three people sickened in an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with the Barbecue Pit restaurant in Moultrie, Georgia. According to the Southwest Georgia Public Health Department, disease investigators learned that the restaurant purchased meat from a new distributor that, in turn,

acquired the meat from Nebraska Beef, Ltd.

At least one of the three Georgia clients developed a severe condition caused by E. coli O157:H7 known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS results from toxins (produced by the E. coli bacteria) that affect red blood cells, the kidneys, and, in some cases, the brain. The HUS victim remains hospitalized in Thomasville, GA.

The Georgia E. coli cases are part of a multistate outbreak that has been linked to Nebraska Beef, Ltd. products. According to the most recent CDC report on the E. coli outbreak investigation, 49 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been linked both epidemiologically and by molecular fingerprinting to this outbreak. The other states involved in this outbreak are Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Utah.

In response to this outbreak, on June 30, 2008, Nebraska Beef, Ltd. issued a recall involving approximately 531,707 pounds of ground beef components that may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. On July 3, 2008, Nebraska Beef, Ltd. expanded its recall to include all beef manufacturing trimmings and other products intended for use in raw ground beef produced between May 16 and June 26, 2008. The total amount involved in the Nebraska Beef recall is approximately 5.3 million pounds.

On July 2, 2008, Pritzker / Ruohonen filed a lawsuit on behalf of a man from Ohio sickened in this multistate E. coli outbreak. The suit was filed against Nebraska Beef, Ltd. and the retailer at which the hamburger was purchased.

Pritzker / Ruohonen & Associates, P.A. specializes in cases involving foodborne illness and is one of a few firms in the United States with extensive experience representing survivors of E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and other deadly foodborne pathogens.

Pritzker / Ruohonen
Fred Pritzker, 1-612-338-0202