TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The first wrongful death lawsuit tied to Boar's Head's listeria outbreak has been filed in Sarasota County, according to a release from national food safety law firm Ron Simon & Associates.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of Gunter Morgenstein, who died July 18 after becoming sick from eating Boar's Head liverwurst in sandwiches, according to the law firm.
"Gunter was a very active and vibrant personality and was still working right up until his illness. He should not have died from eating a sandwich," Ron Simon stated in the news release. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims affected by this completely avoidable travesty. Through this lawsuit and others, we will make sure that all listeria victims are fairly compensated for their losses. We will find out exactly how this happened and will force Boar's Head to make sure it does not happen again."
Recent records obtained by the Associated Press through federal Freedom of Information Act requests said officials logged 69 instances of "noncompliance" with federal rules at the Boar's Head meat plant in Virginia this past year.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 57 people hospitalized and nine deaths from Boar's Head's listeria outbreak. One of the six new deaths happened in Florida, according to a prior news release from CDC.
How to avoid getting sick
The CDC is advising people to throw away or return recalled deli products. They also advise people to clean their fridges, containers and surfaces that may have touched sliced deli meats. People experiencing symptoms who recently ate deli meats should call their healthcare provider.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.