E. Coli Lawsuit Lawyer’s Update of San Diego Marine E. coli Outbreak Linked to Beef Served by Maryland-Based Sodexo Inc.

’s Update of San Diego Marine E. coli Outbreak Linked to Beef Served by Maryland-Based Sodexo Inc.: Hundreds of Marine Corps Recruits Likely Sickened by Ingestion of E. Coli Tainted Beef

After nearly a year, Marine Corps Recruits sickened by E. coli continue to come forward for compensation for illnesses they developed after consuming Sodexo-prepared food in 2018, this according to E. Coli Lawsuit Lawyer Ron Simon.  At least three E. coli Lawsuits are currently pending, with at least one filed in in U.S. District Court in San Diego, but many more claims by Marine Corps recruits and staff are pending outside the courts.

At least a few of the Marine Corp Recruits have developed

, a potentially deadly result of the kidneys becoming clogged with blood cells that can lead to kidney failure and death. According to

, who has settled many HUS cases, “these are not like the usual E. coli cases, which are tragic enough.  HUS cases are life changing, and knowing the science, the ramifications, and having the best experts in the world on retainer is vital to settling these claims.”

“Sometimes we settle claims without having to file a lawsuit, and in so doing reduce the amount of money that has to be spent to recover an award.  But our commitment is to do whatever it takes to maximize the recovery for our clients,” says E. Coli Lawsuit Lawyer Ron Simon, whose firm practices food poisoning litigation exclusively and who has handled thousands of E. coli cases in the last 20 years.

The most recent update form the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, following active inspections of the barracks, cafeterias, and bathrooms used by Marine Corp recruits, led inspectors to identify undercooked ground beef tainted with two separate strains of E. coli.  The report stated:

Food Poisoning Lawyer Tony Coveny, PhD is a food safety lawyer, author and commentator. He works with National Food Safety Lawyer Ron Simon.

“Environmental findings, including reports from recruits, showed that Sodexo Inc.’s employees routinely undercooked ground beef served to recruits, and only intermittently checked the temperature of foods, including ground beef, using an appropriate thermometer . . . Moreover, the environmental investigation showed a number of instances of temperature abuse involving other foods.”

Sodexo, which prepares the meat for the Marine Corp recruits, released a statement through their spokesperson, Enrico Dinges, in which they acknowledged they were aware of the CDC report but continued to assert that the report “did not conclusively determine or identify the source of the E. coli.”  Dinges added, in an email, that “it is important to note that Sodexo is a recognized industry leader in food safety and quality assurance making the safety, health and wellbeing of our clients and customers the number one priority.”

Ron Simon: “In this case, Sodexo is Strictly Liable and Negligent Per Se.”

Under the theories of strict liability and Negligence Per Se, Sodexo is liable even if there was no negligence – though in this case, negligence appears obvious because the meat is alleged to have been undercooked.  But under strict liability, and a theory called negligence per se, Sodexo is liable simply because they served food that was “adulterated” with E. coli.  Under both federal and state statutes, Sodexo had a legal duty to comply with all applicable health regulations, including one or more of the following:  the USDA’s prohibition of the “sell, transport, offer for sale or transportation, or receive for transportation, in commerce . . . [of] human food [that is] adulterated or misbranded at the time . . . “ as codified at 21 U.S.C. § 610; FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices Regulations, 21 C.F.R. part 110, subparts (A)-(G), and all statutory and regulatory provisions that applied to the import, manufacture, distribution, storage, and/or sale of the product or product ingredients, including but not limited to, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, § 402(a), as codified at 21 U.S.C. § 342(a), which bans the manufacture, sale and distribution of any “adulterated” food; and California’s Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, CA Health & Safety Code § 110545, which imposes an identical ban.

A department of the armed forces, the Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch, issued a

in May of 2018 with information on Shiga Toxin Producing E. coli, or STEC.

For more information about the San Diego Marine Corp E. coli Outbreak, or to speak to a  E. coli

, call 1-888-335-4901.