Contaminated Cheese May Have Caused Premature Birth and Death

A California couple filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Forever Cheese Inc. and two other companies that alleges their son’s premature birth and death occurred because his mother ate ricotta cheese contaminated with listeria.

Law 360 (subscriptions required) reports that the defendants named in the lawsuit include Forever Cheese, the company that imported the Frescolina ricotta salata in the U.S., The Aniata Cheese Company, the distributor of the cheese; and the retailer, Cookbook Los Angeles.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified imported Frescolina ricotta salata cheese as the likely cause of a nationwide Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has sickened 18 people and killed three others.

Listeria is known to affect pregnant women, elderly people and adults with weak immune systems, according to the CDC.

According to the complaint, the plaintiff was 25 weeks pregnant at the time of consumption of the tainted cheese. She had to be taken to an emergency room with symptoms of a Listeria infection, and her son was born the next day. The boy and his mother's placenta tested positive for the same strain of Listeria that was isolated from the ricotta salata cheese that she consumed. The baby died in October.

The lawsuit claims strict liability, negligence, and breach of warranty on the part of defendants and seeks punitive damages and compensation for the plaintiffs, reported Law 360.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe food product, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer may be able to help you.

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