An elderly Missouri couple has filed the first lawsuit related to a recent listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats that sickened nearly three dozen people and killed two.
Patrick and Sue Fleming are seeking more than $25,000 in damages and compensation from Boar’s Head and Schnucks Markets for medical expenses, “loss of enjoyment of life” and “harm to the marital relationship.” According to the complaint filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court,.
“Plaintiff Patrick Fleming has lost the love, services, care, comfort, instruction, guidance, advice and support of his wife, which he would have received in the normal course of his married life,” the lawsuit states.
After eating pork liver sausage that Patrick, 76, bought at a Schnucks Markets store in Baldwin, Missouri, in June, Sue, 88, became “deadly ill,” according to the complaint.
She reported feeling “nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and most worryingly, severe body aches, tremors, and muscle weakness.”
Sue received “intensive treatment” at a nearby hospital, where she remained “in critical condition and hospitalized for nine days,” according to the complaint.
After her release, she was transferred to a rehabilitation center, where she “tried to regain her pre-injury baseline levels” for 11 days.
The 80-year-old woman claims she is still suffering “from the effects of the infection, including a range of neurological symptoms, fatigue and general weakness.”
The Fleming family sued Boar’s Head and Schnucks for manufacturing defects and negligence, among other causes of action.
On Friday, Boar’s Head called 207,528. pound of liver sausage and other meats produced between June 11 and July 17. Stop & Shop then said it would temporarily close all of its meat stores.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 34 people Thirteen people in 13 US states have recently been sickened by listeria. Thirty-three of them were hospitalized and two died from the infection. Twelve of the victims also developed food poisoning. in New York.
Most people recover after three days and rarely become seriously ill, but of the 1,600 annual cases, about 260 people die each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People at higher risk of serious infection include pregnant women, who may have a miscarriage, newborns, adults age 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.
Boar’s Head and Schnucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
