First Cyclospora Lawsuit in Iowa Filed by Ron Simon & Associates

 Ron Simon & Associates, in partnership with local counsel Hammer Law Firm, P.L.C., has filed the first lawsuit in Iowa against Fresh Express and grocery store chain Hy-Vee for the Cyclospora outbreak, which resulted from contaminated bagged salad products. The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Laure Guisinger, who contracted cyclosporiasis after eating the contaminated bagged salads. Guisinger frequently purchased the Fresh Express salad mix from Hy-Vee in Dallas County, Iowa, with the last purchase being made on June 3, 2020. After experiencing typical food poisoning symptoms on June 10, 2020, including stomach cramps, nausea, and bloating, followed by crippling diarrhea, Guisinger was admitted to the Iowa Clinic West Des Moines Campus ER. Testing by the Dallas County Health Department then confirmed Guisinger had cyclosporiasis caused by Fresh Express produced bagged salads. A total of 206 cases of cyclosporiasis have been attributed to the Cyclospora infected Fresh Express bagged salad products, spanning across the Midwest United States in 8 different states: IA (74), IL (57), KS (1), MN (25), MO (10), NE (20), ND (6), and WI (13). The FDA expects more cases of cyclosporiasis to be reported in the future due to the bagged salads because a Cyclospora infection can take weeks after consumption before a consumer exhibits symptoms. The FDA and CDC are continuing their investigation into the outbreak, which began approximately mid-June 2020. Thus far, they have found that the contaminated bagged salads from Fresh Express were sold in ALDI, Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart, and in Jewel-Osco stores across the country in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The most recent recall from Fresh Express recalled 91 different items that are potentially contaminated with Cyclospora. 

 Food safety attorney Ron Simon and associates have created a Cyclospora Claim Center to support any victims of Cyclospora outbreak, which can be reached for any questions or concerns toll-free at 1-888-335-4901, or by visiting www.foodpoisoningnews.com or www.gardensaladlawsuit.com. Simon has been practicing food safety litigation for the last 25 years, collecting over $750,000,000 for his clients. Concerning the Cyclospora outbreak, Simon stated that, “Our firm will use this and other lawsuits to help uncover how this outbreak started and how we can prevent it from happening again.” Ron Simon can be reached at at (713) 819-8116 or [email protected] for any inquiries on the Cyclospora outbreak and ongoing litigation.