A Palm Beach County couple, Roberta and Oscar Cash, have filed a lawsuit against Publix Super Markets, Inc., alleging that they contracted E. coli after consuming frozen GreenWise organic blueberries purchased at a Publix store in Jupiter.
The couple, who have been married for nearly 46 years, claimed that after eating the blueberries in May, they both became ill with E. coli, suffering from symptoms such as bloody stools, abdominal pain, stomach cramps, dehydration, and fever.
Roberta Cash was hospitalized for 10 days and later transferred to a nursing facility for rehabilitation, while Oscar Cash decided to recover from the illness without extensive medical treatment, taking care of his wife during her recovery.
Recall and Investigation
On July 3, Publix announced a recall of the GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries due to potential E. coli O145 contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O145:H28 infections linked to frozen GreenWise brand organic blueberries.
As of July 6, a total of 12 cases of the illness were reported, with 11 in Florida and one in Georgia. Four of those cases resulted in hospitalizations.
The Cash couple is requesting a jury trial and damages in excess of $50,000.
Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.