Our law firm has helped clients sickened in past outbreaks win settlements for listeriosis from raw milk cheese tainted with Listeria bacteria.
Whole Foods Market Recall of Vulto Creamery Cheese
Our law firm is investigating a listeriosis outbreak linked to raw milk cheese made by Vulto Creamery. People in 4 states were sickened, and 2 of them died: Connecticut (1), Florida (1), New York (3), and Vermont (1). Voltu Creamery has issued a recall of Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc soft, wash-rind raw milk cheeses, which may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria specimens form the 6 ill people were collected from September 1, 2016 to January 22, 2017. These were tested and found to be related, meaning all 6 were sickened by a common source, in this case, most likely, the Vulto cheese, according to the CDC.
Whole Foods Market has also issued a recall involving 9 stores; however, the company press release says that no illness have been reported from customers of these 9 stores. Contact us if you purchased this cheese at a Whole Foods store and someone in your family has been diagnosed with listeriosis (the infection caused by Listeria bacteria). Most of our cases have involved people who developed meningitis, an infection of the lining of the brain, and either died or were permanently, severely brain damaged. Settlements for these cases can be in the multi-millions.
Forever Cheese Outbreak
The information below discusses a 2012 outbreak and a lawsuit our law firm filed. This case has been settled, and this page has since been updated with information about the 2016/ 2017 outbreak.
Attorney Fred Pritzker and his Bad Bug Law Team have filed a lawsuit against Forever Cheese and Whole Foods Market for Listeria poisoning caused by cheese sold at a Whole Foods store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fred’s client is a man who experienced respiratory failure and almost died. The man is one of 20 people sickened in an outbreak of listeriosis (illness caused by Listeria bacteria). Fred is also investigating a wrongful death claim in Minnesota for a family whose loved one died in the outbreak. The suit (CV12-4634) was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, where Forever Cheese, Inc. is located.
The CDC found the outbreak strain of Listeria in Marta brand Fresconlina Ricotta Salta, a cheese imported by Forever Cheese, Inc. from Italy. This is solid evidence that the ricotta salata cheese was the source of the outbreak.
Before the outbreak, Forever Cheese sold the cheese to Whole Foods Market, which cut up the wheels of cheese and repackaged it with a Whole Foods Market label. Fred’s lawsuit alleges that other cheeses were contaminated with Listeria when they were cut with the same equipment Whole Foods Market used to cut the ricotta salata cheese. It only takes a few cells of Listeria to cause serious personal injury and wrongful death.
According to the latest CDC update of the outbreak, 20 people from 12 states have been sickened in the outbreak to date. Four adults and an unborn baby died. Read about listeriosis and miscarriage.
