Canadian Victims of Contaminated Beef File Class Action Claims

Two British Columbia residents have reportedly filed individual and putative
class action suits against the Canadian meat processor that was forced to
recall 1,800 ground beef products in an E. coli contamination outbreak that
involved retail chains in the United States and Canada. The class action, filed
October 12, 2012, by Erin Thornton in B.C. Supreme Court, names XL Foods
Inc. and its owner Nilsson Bros., Inc. as defendants. She alleges that XL Foods was negligent and that both defendants breached disclosure obligations and mishandled the recall. According to news sources, at least 15 people in four
provinces have been sickened by the E. coli strain linked to the defendants’
Brooks, Alberta-based plant. Class actions have also apparently been filed in
other provinces. U.S. officials reportedly discovered E. coli O157 at the plant on
September 3, and the recall began September 16. See The Canadian Press and
The Province, October 17, 2012.