Two Iowa egg farms are sued over salmonella poisoning outbreak

People from six states sued two Iowa egg farms, accusing them of failing to prevent an outbreak of salmonella poisoning.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has said that as many as 1,519 diagnosed cases reported since May 1 may be linked to eggs from the Wright County Egg farm in Galt and Hillandale Farms of Iowa in New Hampton.

“Self-policing doesn’t work,” Kenneth Moll, a lawyer for the consumers, said Wednesday at a news conference announcing the lawsuit’s filing in federal court in Chicago. The farms failed to follow U.S. regulations to prevent contamination, he said.

Wright, the trade name for Quality Egg, and Hillandale have recalled 550 million eggs since the outbreak was detected. It is the largest instance of salmonella poisoning since the CDC began tracking cases more than 30 years ago.

As many as 76,000 people may have been sickened by the contaminated eggs, Moll said. Salmonella can cause fever, abdominal cramps and severe diarrhea. It can lead to fatal complications in infants, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

The plaintiffs are residents of Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York and Mississippi. They seek class-action, or group, status on behalf of people who bought or were sickened by the tainted eggs, reimbursement for the purchases and payment for medical testing and monitoring.

“While we certainly sympathize with those who have reported illnesses, we are not in a position to comment on pending legal matters and have not reviewed the specific action in question,” Hinda Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Wright County Egg, said in a statement.

Hillandale didn’t immediately comment.