Salmonella Egg Recall Expands, Legal Problems Mount for Iowa Egg Producer

The recall by Iowa egg producer Wright County Eggs, a part of the DeCoster family agribusiness, has just been increased to a staggering 380 million eggs as lawsuits mount against the egg producer and the history of legal troubles of its owner are brought to light. Health officials have confirmed that hundreds of consumers in multiple states have been infected.

Eggs were distributed and packaged under the brand names Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemp. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and health officials from a number of states are involved in the investigation.

The suspect eggs were widely distributed throughout the nation. including food wholesalers, distribution centers and food service companies in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. The eggs have specifically been linked to illnesses in four states to date. The egg cartons were packaged between May 16 and August 13 and stamped with one of three codes: P-1026, P-1413 or P-1946.
Salmonella presents with a number of symptoms include fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.
Persons should confirm the infection with testing through their physician

At least one lawsuit has been filed to date and more are anticipated. Historically, these lawsuits have been filed both individually and as class and "mass tort" actions, under theories of strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty and violations of consumer protection and other statutes.