VALDOSTA, Ga. — Five separate lawsuits were filed in the State Court of Georgia, DeKalb County, on behalf of individuals who became seriously ill with Salmonella serotype Montevideo food poisoning after consuming contaminated sandwiches purchased at an Arby's Restaurant located on North Ashley Street, in Valdosta, Ga.
Attorneys Andrew Childers and Richard Schlueter of the Atlanta firm of Childers, Buck & Schlueter, working with attorney Eric H. Weinberg of New Brunswick, N.J., filed the five lawsuits against Arby's Restaurants; Beavers' Inc., a franchisee which operates several Arby's restaurants in Georgia and Florida; Globe Food Equipment Company, makers of the food slicer used at the Valdosta Arby's restaurants; and two additional defendants, a marketing firm and a food supplier.
The personal injury lawsuits were brought on behalf of Addie Brunston and her father Robby Brunston, Phillis and Owen Lindsey, Karen Diane Powell, Ronald and Patricia Tucker, and Lori Turner. All of the plaintiffs contracted Salmonella food poisoning after eating at Arby's between September and October of 2006.
In January 2007, the same lawyers brought the first lawsuit against Arby's on behalf of another woman who was seriously injured by the outbreak.
"These companies had a responsibility to their customers to prevent foodborne pathogens in their food. The fact that they continued to operate their restaurant and serve patrons after being notified of a problem by the health authorities is shocking," Weinberg said.
According to the Public Health Division of the Georgia Department of Human Resources, in their report dated Dec. 22, 2006, the outbreak caused by Salmonella contamination at Arby's extended from Aug. 21, 2006, through Nov. 16, 2006.
Seventy-two people were infected, with 19 of the cases resulting in hospitalization. All five of the plaintiffs' Salmonella infections were incontrovertibly linked to the Arby's Salmonella outbreak.
