Sludge Watch ==> Omaha Neb: Woman's Estate Sues Over Tainted Spinach Death

[Maureen Reilly]

Woman's Estate Sues Over Tainted Spinach Death




OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of the estate of a 
Nebraska woman who health officials say died because she was infected with 
E. coli after eating fresh spinach.
The lawsuit, filed after Ruby Trautz, 81, of Bellevue, died in August, names 
"John Doe Farms," Dole Food Co., Natural Selection Foods and No Frills 
Supermarkets as defendants.

"This far into the outbreak investigation, FDA should have already named the 
farm where the spinach came from," attorney Bill Marler said in a release 
Tuesday. "We included John Doe Farms as a defendant to try to get more 
answers for our clients."

The lawsuit was filed in Sarpy County District Court.

Trautz was one of three people known to have died in the nationwide 
outbreak, according to health officials.

Investigators are still trying to pinpoint the source of the bacteria.

E. coli lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and typically is 
linked to contamination by fecal material. It causes an estimated 73,000 
infections in the United States each year, including 61 deaths, according to 
the CDC.

Sources can include uncooked produce, raw milk, unpasteurized juice, 
contaminated water and meat, the agency said.

"We have no lawsuit at this point," said Joe Bosco, a human resource 
director for No Frills Supermarkets. "We have not received anything, any 
acknowledgment of that."

Bosco said no customer has told the store tainted spinach was purchased 
there.

A representative for the Dole Co. referred a telephone call from The 
Associated Press to Marty Schenker, a lawyer for Natural Selection Foods. 
Schenker said he did not represent Natural Selection Foods in 
personal-injury cases.

Telephone calls to Natural Selection Foods seeking comment were not 
immediately returned.


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