February
24, 2000
SALMONELLA
OUTBREAK AT GREEK PARTY
ONE PHYSICIAN DIES, MANY HOSPITALIZED
Marina
Damis is the first victim of a salmonella food poisoning
to file a case for personal injuries.
Attorney
Peter Stamatis and the law firm of Lloyd & Cavanagh,
a major personal injury firm that handles mass tort injuries,
represent her. The case is Damis v. Ingrid's Cafe,
Case No. 2164 Circuit Court of Cook County.
Ms.
Damis attended an anniversary wedding party on Sunday, February
13, 2000 at the north shore home of husband and wife Angelo
Christopoulos, MD and Maria Balkpuras, MD. The party was
attended by many physicians and other friends. Ingrid's
Cafe, 2500 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, Illinois, catered the
party.
The
next day Ms. Damis was stricken with salmonella food poisoning.
She was hospitalized at Rush-Presbyterian, St. Luke's Medical
Center. At least thirty guests became stricken with the
disease, most of who were hospitalized. One physician who
was stricken died within days.
The
Chicago Department of Health has the outbreak under investigation.
Ms.
Damis was the first to file a lawsuit and is doing so to
obtain early investigation of the outbreak. Using the authority
of the Courts, Ms. Damis' attorneys are attempting to identify
the infectious agents and foods involved and are determining
if any food purveyors or distributors had a role in the
outbreak. Attorney Kurt D. Lloyd was quoted after the case
was filed: "We want to do legal discovery immediately
so that any bad food practices are stopped quickly."
