Clifford Tousignant – The 2008-2009 Peanut Butter Corporation of America Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak
In 2008 and 2009, 714 people in 46 states were confirmed ill with Salmonella after consuming peanut products produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Health officials issued a recall for over 3600 products manufactured at PCA facilities in Blakely, GA and Plainview, TX.
One of those cases was Clifford Tousignant. Cliff was a military veteran who had recently moved into the Good Samaritan Woodland Skilled Nursing Facility in Brainerd, Minnesota. Cliff enjoyed his daily lunches at the facility and one of his favorite meals was peanut butter sandwiches.
On December 28th, 2008, Cliff started to experience severe diarrhea and demanded to be taken to the hospital. At the hospital, Cliff was treated with fluids and monitored. Cliff spent two weeks in the hospital becoming increasingly dehydrated from his symptoms. By the morning of January 12, Cliff was completely unresponsive. Doctors planned to give him a blood transfusion, but Cliff did not make it long enough for them continue treatment. Cliff passed away that morning from Salmonella Gastroenteritis.
On February 21, 2013, the US Department of Justice announced that former PCA officials had been indicted after a long criminal investigation into their involvement in allowing tainted products to enter the chain of commerce.
Marler Clark represented Cliff and 41 others in lawsuits against PCA. All claims were settled in September 2010. You can read more about Salmonella lawsuits and litigation that stemmed from the PCA Salmonella outbreak on the Marler Clark Website.
