US: Dole settles E. coli lawsuits

Five lawsuits filed in response to an E. coli outbreak traced to Dole Fresh Vegetable bagged salads in Minnesota last fall have been settled.

Bill Marler, an attorney for the nine plaintiffs involved, said the settlements with parent company Dole Food Company Inc. were reached in the past month. Among the plaintiffs was a 12-year-old girl who suffered kidney failure after eating the salad and was featured in a "Dateline" report televised in April on E. coli and bagged salads. Both parties declined to disclose the details of the settlements.

"We're very pleased to get the cases resolved," said Marler, an attorney with Seattle's Marler Clark law firm which has represented clients against Odwalla and Jack-in-the-Box in other foodborne illness cases. Marler praised Dole and its insurance company for "stepping up and ultimately doing the right thing."

"In many instances, companies don't do that," he said, adding that some companies will fight cases like this for years in court. "I think Dole correctly got this thing behind them.... It's the way corporations should act." Eric Schwartz, president of Dole Fresh Vegetables, said the settlement doesn't mean the company is admitting guilt.
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