Bill Marler

Food Safety Advocate & Food Poisoning Attorney

Shirlee Yuu – The 2016 Genki Sushi Hepatitis A Outbreak

On August 15, 2016, the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) identified raw scallops served at Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai as a likely source of an ongoing hepatitis A outbreak. The product of concern was identified to be Sea Port Bay Scallops that originated in the Philippines and were distributed by Koha Oriental Foods. 

As of November 2016, the HDOH had identified 292 confirmed cases of hepatitis A, 74 of which required hospitalization.  One of these cases was Shirlee Yuu. Shirlee began feeling ill in June 2016 when she started feeling weak to the extent that it made walking difficult along with passing dark colored urine. Shirlee’s son took her to the Pali Momi emergency room where they found evidence of acute liver failure. Shirlee was transferred to Queen’s Medical Center where she was diagnosed with an acute Hepatitis A infection. The doctors gave her medication and monitored Shirlee for a week before discharging her.

Shirlee’s condition worsened and she returned to the hospital a month later where she met with a doctor to discuss a liver transplant. Unfortunately, Shirlee did not live long enough to receive one. Shirlee was put on dialysis for her kidney disfunction and required intubation for respiratory failure. On October 19th Shirlee passed away after refusing to continue using a machine to help her breath.

Marler Clark represented Shirly and 87 other individuals in claims against Genki Sushi. You can read more about Hepatitis A lawsuits and litigation that stemmed from the Genki Sushi Hepatitis A outbreak on the Marler Clark Website.

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