Our E. coli lawyers have filed a lawsuit against The SoyNut Butter Company for a child whose kidneys failed after eating an I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter product at a daycare. Our young client is one of at least 7 children who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) renal damage after eating these products. To contact a lawyer about an E. coli lawsuit for your child, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) and ask to speak with the E.coli attorneys at our law firm who are representing our young client.
Our law firm continues to investigate the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter products that have sickened at least 20 little children in 9 states. To date, seven of these little ones, including our client M.R., have developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney failure and can be fatal. We are a food safety law firm that represents people sickened in food poisoning outbreaks all over the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its investigation into the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to The SoyNut Butter Company’s recalled I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter products. As of March 21, 2017, 23 people in 9 states are now sick with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 (STEC) bacteria.
All I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter products, all I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter granola products, and all Dixie Diner’s Club Carb Not Beanit Butter products have been recalled as a result of this outbreak investigation. The initial recall was on March 7, 2017, and the FDA announced that the recall was expanded on March 10, 2017. Please check your pantry to see if you have any of these products in your home. If so, throw them away immediately.
The I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter Outbreak
There are now 29 confirmed E. coli cases in 12 states:
Arizona (4), California (5), Florida (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (1), Oregon (9), Virginia (2), Washington (2), and Wisconsin (1).
Twelve people have been hospitalized because their illness is so serious, and nine children have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. The hospitalization rate is quite high; 43% of patients have been hospitalized. Most of the patients are children under the age of 18.
The illness onset dates range from January 4, 2017, to March 5, 2017. The patients range in age from 1 year to 48 years, with a median age of 8. So far, no deaths have been reported in this outbreak.
What Have Investigators Found?
Epidemiological and laboratory evidence links this outbreak to I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter products. Government officials have interviewed patients or their families about the foods the patient ate before symptoms began. Twenty, or 87%, of the 23 people reached reported either eating I.M Healthy brand SoyNut Butter at home (14 people), at a facility that served the product (2 people) or at childcare centers that served the product (4 people).
Investigators have also reported to the CDC two more ill persons who either developed HUS or had a diagnostic test showing they had a STEC infection. In interviews, both of these patients said they ate I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter the week before they got sick. But the CDC is not including these people in the case count because no samples were available for DNA fingerprinting, which is used to match the patient to the outbreak. This stresses the importance of getting a diagnosis and having samples taken and tested if you think your child may be part of this outbreak.
Officials found STEC O157:H7 in opened containers of I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter taken from the homes of ill persons in California, Oregon, and Washington state. Officials in California isolated the outbreak strain of E. coli O57:H7 in unopened containers of I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter collected from grocery stores. It had the same DNA fingerprint as the strain that made people sick.
Can I Sue a Manufacturer or School for E. coli – HUS from SoyNut Butter?
Yes, you can sue a manufacturer, a facility, or a school for your illness if your case can be linked to a contaminated product. If your child was sickened, you can sue on their behalf.
An E. coli – HUS infection is very serious, and much pain and suffering can occur. You may have lost income because a family member was sick. Medical bills can pile up at an alarming rate. A child may experience kidney failure or even need a kidney transplant. Any patient with this illness can experience long term complications of HUS kidney failure.
If your child has E. coli O157:H7, there are some steps you can take. Contact your doctor, make sure tests are performed, and then concentrate on taking care of your son or daughter. Our E. coli attorneys at Pritzker Hageman law can help; lawyers in our firm have years of experience litigating cases such as these. We are one of the very few law firms in the nation practicing extensively in foodborne illness.
If your child was sickened in this outbreak, contact our lawyers for help protecting your legal rights. Call 1-888-377-8900 or fill out our free online consultant form, and someone from our firm will return your call soon.