Pritzker Olsen files lawsuit against Kanan Enterprises for wrongful death suit

Pritzker Olsen law firm has filed a lawsuit through its local counsel on behalf of the family of Nellie Napier, who died after eating peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella. The wrongful death suit was filed in the Court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County, Ohio against Kanan Enterprises, Inc., doing business as King Nut Companies, an Ohio Corporation.

“There are other companies responsible for other outbreaks too. We need to send a message that this can't and won't be tolerated any more. I don't want to see anybody else go through what we had to go through.”

In January 2009, while the late Nellie Napier was residing in a nursing home in Medina County, Ohio, she was served peanut butter produced by King Nut Companies. She contracted salmonellosis from the peanut butter and died after a protracted illness on January 26, 2009.

"This lawsuit is about holding an irresponsible company accountable for the food safety shortcuts it took—shortcuts that cost my mother her life," said Randy Napier, Nellie Napier's son. "There are other companies responsible for other outbreaks too. We need to send a message that this can't and won't be tolerated any more. I don't want to see anybody else go through what we had to go through."

According to the complaint, Salmonella Typhimurium was recovered from the container of peanut butter served to Ms. Napier. Testing revealed the Salmonella in the container was a genetic match to over 700 illnesses nationwide linked to Salmonella-contaminated peanut products that had been manufactured with peanuts from Peanut Corporation of America, now bankrupt.

"This company profited by selling products to nursing homes and other institutions that care for the sick and elderly, yet utterly failed to ensure the safety of its product," said attorney Brendan Flaherty of Pritzker Olsen law firm. "The suit alleges that Kanan's marketing to nursing homes heightened its duty to sell safe products."

Randy Napier and his lawyers, Mr. Flaherty and Fred Pritzker, are available for media questions and comments and can be reached by contacting the firm.