Maple Leaf Agrees to Settle Food-Poisoning Lawsuits (Update1)

 

Source of Article: Maple Leaf Agrees to Settle Food-Poisoning Lawsuits (Update1)

By Joe Schneider

Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Maple Leaf Foods Inc., the maker of meat products that Canadian officials linked to food poisoning and 37 deaths, agreed to pay as much as C$27 million ($22 million) to settle related lawsuits.

The settlement must be approved by judges in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, Bruneau Group Inc., the administrator of a fund Toronto-based Maple Leaf agreed to create, said in a statement.

Maple Leaf said Aug. 20 it recalled meat products at a Toronto plant after finding listeria, a type of bacteria that can lead to fevers and death. There were 41 confirmed cases of people being sickened as of Dec. 8, according to public-health officials.

People who had symptoms consistent with listeriosis are eligible for compensation ranging from C$750 to C$125,000, the administrator said. Estates of people who died will be paid at least C$120,000. People and businesses who bought recalled products for resale aren’t part of the settlement, Bruneau said.

A hearing to approve the accord is scheduled for March 10 in Regina, Saskatchewan. In Toronto, the hearing is scheduled for March 5 and in Montreal on March 20, Bruneau said.

Merchant Law Group LLP represented plaintiffs throughout Canada. Other law firms were involved in Ontario and Quebec.

Linda Smith, a Maple Leaf spokeswoman, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Saskatchewan case is Between Michelle Whelan and Maple Leafs Foods Inc. Court of Queen’s Bench (Regina).

 

By Joe Schneider

Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Maple Leaf Foods Inc., the maker of meat products that Canadian officials linked to food poisoning and 37 deaths, agreed to pay as much as C$27 million ($22 million) to settle related lawsuits.

The settlement must be approved by judges in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, Bruneau Group Inc., the administrator of a fund Toronto-based Maple Leaf agreed to create, said in a statement.

Maple Leaf said Aug. 20 it recalled meat products at a Toronto plant after finding listeria, a type of bacteria that can lead to fevers and death. There were 41 confirmed cases of people being sickened as of Dec. 8, according to public-health officials.

People who had symptoms consistent with listeriosis are eligible for compensation ranging from C$750 to C$125,000, the administrator said. Estates of people who died will be paid at least C$120,000. People and businesses who bought recalled products for resale aren’t part of the settlement, Bruneau said.

A hearing to approve the accord is scheduled for March 10 in Regina, Saskatchewan. In Toronto, the hearing is scheduled for March 5 and in Montreal on March 20, Bruneau said.

Merchant Law Group LLP represented plaintiffs throughout Canada. Other law firms were involved in Ontario and Quebec.

Linda Smith, a Maple Leaf spokeswoman, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Saskatchewan case is Between Michelle Whelan and Maple Leafs Foods Inc. Court of Queen’s Bench (Regina).

 

 

 

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