August 04, 2006
Wendy’s Cleared -- Federal Jury Finds No E. Coli Link to Illness
According to this article, it took only 30 minutes for a federal jury in Portland, Maine to reject a woman’s claim that she was hospitalized for 12 days due to E. Coli bacteria in a Wendy’s bacon cheeseburger. The jury heard evidence that the woman’s illness, which was serious, may have been caused by a pre-existing enzyme deficiency and apparently did not believe that the Wendy’s cheeseburger made her sick. The woman’s only expert was her treating physician. Wendy’s presented testimony from three out-of-state experts concerning the cause of the illness. Wendy’s spokesman Bob Bertini commented on the speedy verdict and stated, “We feel that our food safety procedures have been validated.” The verdict follows a highly publicized incident in which a Las Vegas woman fraudulently claimed that she had found a human finger in a bowl of Wendy’s chili, which resulted in prison sentences for her and her husband.
Posted by franchiselawblog at August 4, 2006 12:54 PM