The national food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates, along with Kelly/Uustal, PLC, filed the first Boar’s Head Listeria Wrongful Death lawsuit, doing so on behalf of the family of Gunter Morgenstein. The lawsuit was filed in Sarasota County, Florida.
On June 30, 2024, Gunter Morgenstein, a Holocaust survivor, purchased Boar’s Head liverwurst from his local Harris Teeter store located in Newport News, Virginia. Over the next week, he consumed the liverwurst in sandwiches and thereafter began to experience diarrhea, weakness, and shortness of breath.
On July 8th, Morgenstein was taken by ambulance to Riverside Regional Hospital where he was diagnosed with sepsis and listeriosis. His condition rapidly deteriorated and he died on July 18th, surrounded by his loved ones.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), at least 57 victims in 18 states have tested positive for listeria poisoning from contaminated Boar’s Head products. All of the victims have been hospitalized, and nine died by the time the lawsuit was filed. The CDC has since announced, “this is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe.”
The investigation by federal and state health agencies has already identified a number of health violations at the company’s Jarratt, Virginia plant, including the presence of mold, insects, blood puddles, contaminated water, old meat residue, ceiling leaks and contaminated food surfaces. The investigation remains ongoing.
Boar’s Head has since recalled all products manufactured at the plant, which remains closed until further notice. In an August 29th update on the Boar’s Head website the company apologized to the families of the victims and said that it was actively investigating the contamination with relevant government agencies and industry food safety experts. Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are advised not to consume them and to either discard them or return them to the place of purchase.
According to Ron Simon, attorney for the Morgenstein Family and other listeria victims: “Gunter was a very active and vibrant personality and was still working right up until his illness. He should not have died from eating a sandwich. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims affected by this completely avoidable travesty. Through this lawsuit and others, we will make sure that all listeria victims are fairly compensated for their losses. We will find out exactly how this happened and will force Boar’s Head to make sure it does not happen again.”
Simon and his law firm have established a Boar’s Head Listeria Claim Center to assist victims in the outbreak. The Boar’s Head Listeria Claim Center can be reached toll-free at 1-888-335-4901 or by going to the Listeria Outbreak website.
Over the last 25 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.
Simon said his food safety law firm relentlessly challenges food manufacturers, distributors, and restaurants to do a better job in making our food safe.
