Ron Simon & Associates Files First Stuffed Chicken Salmonella Lawsuit

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Jul 24, 2015, 07:28 ET

CHICAGO, July 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the national food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates, along with local counsel Meyers & Flowers, filed the first lawsuit stemming from salmonella-contaminated frozen stuffed chicken products manufactured by Aspen Foods, a division of Koch Meat Co. The products were sold at Kroger retail outlets across the nation.

A copy of the lawsuit is available upon request.

The lawsuit was filed against Koch Meat Co., Inc. and The Kroger Co. in Cook County, Illinois on behalf of Colleen Sappington.

Colleen consumed Aspen Foods' stuffed chicken Oven Cravers on June 25, 2015, and thereafter began to experience vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, headaches, fever, and chills. Colleen tried to ride out her illness for a few days before being forced to seek medical attention at an urgent care center on July 1^st.

After lab tests performed at the urgent care center confirmed that Colleen had tested positive for Salmonella, health officials interviewed Colleen and confirmed that she had purchased and consumed a contaminated Aspen Foods stuffed chicken product.

Aspen Foods Recalls Nearly 2 Million Pounds of Stuffed Chicken Products

On June 23, 2015 the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified of a cluster of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses. Working in conjunction with the Minnesota State Departments of Health and Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FSIS found a link between consumption of stuffed chicken products from Aspen Foods (a division of Koch Meat Co. headquartered in Chicago) and victims who had contracted Salmonella Enteritidis.

On July 15, 2015, weeks after Colleen Sappington and others had contracted Salmonella poisoning, Aspen Foods finally issued a nationwide recall of 1,978,680 pounds of stuffed chicken products.

Aspen Foods had produced the products between April 15, 2015 and July 10, 2015 with "best if used by" dates between July 14, 2016 and October 10, 2016. The recalled products also bear the establishment number "P-1358" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Aspen Foods had shipped the products to retail stores and food service locations across the United States.

Attorney Ron Simon Issues Statement for Victims and Establishes Salmonella Claim Center

Lead attorney Ron Simon, who represents Colleen Sappington and other victims of the outbreak, issued the following statement today: "Americans have come to rely on quick frozen meals. Millions are consumed each and year. This outbreak shows the dangers that exist when manufacturers fail to employ proper food safety procedures. Through this lawsuit and others, we will find out how these products became contaminated so that we can prevent this from happening again."

Mr. Simon and his law firm have established a Salmonella Claim Center to assist victims in the outbreak. The Salmonella Claims Center can be reached toll-free at 1-888-335-4901.

About Ron Simon

Over the last 20 years, Ron Simon and his colleagues have prosecuted thousands of food poisoning cases for victims across the United States. His work has resulted in numerous upgrades to food safety procedures in Fortune 500 companies and in legislation designed to protect consumers from dangerous food-borne pathogens.

Mr. Simon and his clients have been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and virtually all other major television networks and print media. Mr. Simon has collected over $600,000,000 for his clients. He regularly publishes articles about food safety and litigation at www.foodpoisoningnews.com which are read by viewers in over 180 countries.

Through litigation, media commentary, and his food poisoning publications, Mr. Simon relentlessly challenges food manufacturers, distributors, and restaurants to do a better job in making our food safe.

For media inquiries or more information on the salmonella outbreak and ongoing litigation, please contact Ron Simon directly at (713) 819-8116 or [email protected].

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SOURCE Ron Simon & Associates