Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A deadly listeria outbreak has been linked to frozen supplement shakes present at long-term care facilities.
The outbreak of Listeria, a bacterial infection that can cause nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, has been connected to frozen supplement shakes sold in 4-ounce cartons under the brands Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial. As of Monday morning, the shakes have been linked to the deaths of at least 11 people. These products were made by Prairie Farms Dairy at its Fort Wayne, Indiana, facility.
The best-by dates on the allegedly affected products range from 02/21/2025 to 02/21/2026. If a business owner or corporation believes they are in possession of the recalled shakes, they can return them to the seller for a refund or throw them out, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.
Officials with the brand Lyons ReadyCare said that the recalled products were distributed “primarily to long-term care facilities and were not available for retail sale.” Residents at long-term care facilities are those who are unable to live independently due to chronic illnesses, disabilities or the elderly, according to definitions from the National Institute of Health. Listeria can be particularly harmful to pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems, making those in long-term care facilities especially vulnerable.
The Food and Drug Administrations says the Centers for Disease Control cites the start of the outbreak was in 2018. At least 38 people were affected, 37 of whom were hospitalized. Of the 37 hospitalizations, 11 people died. These individuals came from places like California, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Florida and more.
Leesfield & Partners
In today’s world of quick fixes and instant gratification, anything can be ordered and delivered to the homes of consumers from all over the globe in just a few clicks. Packages pile up on doorsteps and next-day delivery, previously considered a luxury, is now a given.
With cheaply-made products of convenience and hundreds of advertisements pushed at consumers from every angle, stories of malfunctioning and defective products dominate headlines. From an 8-year-old girl whose face was burned while playing with a popular children’s toy to an average commuter almost losing her eyesight after a car air freshener exploded in traffic, sometimes these coveted items can cause injury and, when they do, their manufacturers must be held accountable.
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with decades of experience in product liability cases. The firm has been recognized nationally for product liability litigation concerning children’s toys, defective automobiles and children safety equipment. Cases handled by the firm have resulted in industry-wide changes and record settlements and verdicts on behalf of injured clients and their grieving family members.
In 48 years of personal injury practice, Leesfield & Partners has secured more than $83 million for individuals and families injured in a defective products case. These cases have included everything from faulty Jacuzzis to defective guns.
Product liability is a legal principle that aims to hold manufacturers, distributors and sellers accountable for the injuries a defect in their product has caused. Attorneys may base their product liability case on negligence, strict liability, or breach of warranty, with strict liability being the most commonly applied claim.
Previous Cases
Previously, Leesfield & Partners obtained a $19.8 million verdict, one of the largest product liability verdicts in the U.S. This case involved a 27-year-old motorcyclist whose vehicle spun out of control due to a defect with the bike’s kickstand. As a result, our young client suffered a spinal chord injury that left him paralyzed.
In another product liability case, Leesfield & Partners secured a $17.5 million settlement for a family whose 2-year-old was killed in a furniture tip-over incident. While the dresser involved in the toddler’s death was compliant with all industry standards, there were no warnings about the necessity of anchoring the unit to the wall.
Following the settlement, the manufacturer agreed to bring about changes to warn consumers about this risk to prevent further tragedies.
A fatal product liability case handled by the firm resulted in our attorneys securing over $10.6 million for the grieving family.
Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, handled numerous product liability cases involving all-terrain vehicles marketed to children as toys. While these machines look fun and show children smiling gleefully, they are incredibly risky and pose a threat to unsuspecting families.
One case involved the devastating death of a 15-year-old girl who, along with other children, was not being supervised by the adults taking care of them when one of the children was negligently entrusted to operate this vehicle.
Mr. Leesfield settled the case for $4.5 million.
Other ATV incidents handled by the firm total more than $10 million in recoveries obtained for individuals and families.
If you or a loved one was injured due to a defective product, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney at 305-854-4900 today to see if you may be eligible to make a claim.
