Lawsuits filed over salmonella illness

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A couple sued ConAgra Foods Inc. on Friday over a salmonella outbreak linked to its peanut butter, and their attorney predicted more suits would follow.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Kansas City by Susanna and Brian Cox of St. Joseph. It claims that Susanna Cox and the couple's two children became ill in October after eating Great Value Peanut Butter, made by ConAgra. The two children required urgent medical treatment, according to the lawsuit.
Seattle-based attorney William Marler, whose firm handles many cases of food-borne illness, said the lawsuit is the first in the outbreak, which has sickened nearly 300 people in 39 states since August. No deaths have been reported.
Also Friday, Marler filed a lawsuit in federal court in Rochester, N.Y., on behalf of a New York couple and their child. The lawsuit said the father and 2-year-old son became severely ill last week after eating sandwiches with Peter Pan peanut butter.
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