Did You Get Listeriosis from Cheese Sold at Whole Foods Market? 5 Reasons to Sue Now

This information was updated March 3, 2017. Our attorneys represent listeriosis victims and their families nationwide.

Attorney Fred Pritzker and his team are now investigating an outbreak of listeriosis (the illness caused by Listeria bacteria) that has sickened at least 6 people in 4 states, two of whom have died:  Connecticut (1), Florida (1), New York (3), and Vermont (1), according to the CDC. Bacterial specimens from the 6 ill people were collected from September 1, 2016 to January 22, 2017.

This outbreak has been linked to raw milk cheese made by Vulto Creamery, a Walton, New York, company. This means anyone sickened in the outbreak and the families of those who died can sue Vulto Creamery for compensation and may also have claims against the retailers who sold the contaminated cheese. You can contact our law firm for a free consultation: 1-888-377-8900 (toll free). Ask for Fred, who recently won $7.5 million for a client from another company and is now available to help you and your family.

Whole Foods Stores Received Vulto Cheese

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, where one person is part of the outbreak:

“DPH is aware that Whole Foods grocery in Connecticut had received cheese from Vulto for retail sales in its Fairfield location and has initiated its own recall. FDA is currently collecting additional distribution information from the creamery. Specialty cheese shops in Connecticut who carry Vulto Creamery cheeses may have received recalled product and should check their inventory.”

In response to this outbreak, Vulto Creamery issued a recall of raw milk cheese that may be contaminated with Listeria bacteria. The recalled involves all lots of Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses.

Whole Foods Market has also issued a recall dated March 8, 2017, involving 9 stores; however, the company press release says that no illness have been reported from customers of these 9 stores.

You Can Sue Whole Foods for Listeriosis Food Poisoning from Contaminated Cheese

Below are 5 good reasons to hire us to sue for money to compensate you for personal injury or wrongful death:

1. By filing a lawsuit, there is more assurance that insurance money available under the company’s policy is not depleted by payments to other victims, leaving nothing or very little left for you and your family.
2. When a lawsuit is filed for listeriosis food poisoning, we can get early access to relevant corporate documents.  Without a lawsuit, we cannot force them to share any information.
3. A lawsuit sends a message that food safety is important and companies should take every measure possible to prevent outbreaks caused by food contaminated with Listeria bacteria.
4. A lawsuit may lead to a faster settlement for you, allowing you to move on with your life after getting listeriosis from cheese contaminated with Listeria.
5. When the media covers a lawsuit, they want to have contact with the victim or his/her family so they can tell the story from the standpoint of the victim. If you or a loved one has been sickened, you can be a voice for food safety and the reforms necessary to prevent this from happening to someone else.

Would a Listeria Lawsuit against Whole Foods be a Class Action?

Our law firm does not file class action lawsuits for clients who are severely injured for the following reasons:

1. Class action lawsuits are for cases that have almost identical damages, which is almost never the case with personal injury and wrongful death claims;
2. People in a “class” are lumped together and settlements are payed out as if they suffered the exact same injury, which is never the case with Listeria outbreak victims.