Florida E. coli settlements
Both the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times reported on the settlement of two E. coli claims with the Florida Strawberry Festival today. The claims were settled last week, and approved by a judge on Wednesday.
The Tampa Tribune provided some background information on the settlements:
Health officials traced the 2005 E. coli outbreak to a petting zoo owned by Plant City-based Ag-Venture Farms, which had brought more than a dozen goats, sheep, cows and chickens to the Florida Strawberry Festival, the Florida State Fair in Tampa and the Central Florida Fair in Orlando.About 50 people from six counties were sickened at the three events, and 15 filed lawsuits against the petting zoo, Marler said. Those claims were resolved last year when the 15 victims shared a $1 million settlement from an insurance company representing the petting zoo, Marler said.
Petting zoos have not been featured at the Florida Strawberry Festival since the E. coli outbreak two years ago.
The settlement announced Thursday involves lawsuits filed against the strawberry festival. Other suits are pending against the state fair and Central Florida Fair, Marler said.
The St. Petersburg Times provided details on the two victims' illnesses, and noted that claims against the Central Florida Fair and the Florida State Fair are still being pursued:
The single connection among the three fairs was a petting zoo run by Plant City's Ag-Venture Farm Shows that had infected livestock. Ag-Venture had an insurance policy limit of $1-million, which was divided among all of the people who filed claims, Marler said.The owner of Ag-Venture, Tom Umiker, could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Jerry Setchel, said Umiker has lost everything -- his business and his animals. About 16 plaintiffs have settled with Ag-Venture, Setchel said, noting that "the matters were amicably resolved."
Marler, who has worked on thousands of E. coli cases, said his goal is not to shut down petting zoos.
"I understand the '50s, apple pie kind of feelings," he said. "However, the fact of the matter is, these petting zoos and county fairs have been a real big source of illnesses for a number of years. ... This bug is out there, and it's something you have to worry about now. You have to protect the people who are coming to enjoy them."
The Marler Clark Web site provides additional information about the petting zoo E. coli outbreak and resulting litigation.
