A Sarnia woman has been named as the lead plaintiff in a proposed class-action lawsuit filed over cantaloupe-linked salmonella infections.
London law firm Siskinds LLP announced in mid December it was seeking compensation for those who got sick, lost a loved one, or threw out cantaloupe following an outbreak linked to Malichita and Ruby brand melons.
In a statement of claim, filed in the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba and shared with Sarnia News Today, Michele Lee Gagne said she purchased a cantaloupe on October 25, 2023 from a Sarnia grocery store, and consumed it before November 9 when she "fell ill" and experienced "abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting."
Siskinds Partner Linda Visser explained why the statement of claim was filed in Manitoba.
"We look at a number of different procedural and substantive aspects of the law when deciding which jurisdiction to commence a claim in," said Visser.
Visser added that anyone who ate or bought recalled cantaloupe can still contact them.
"It's an ongoing thing that people can continue to join the action. I would say in these types of cases, we would not expect that people will have retained a receipt. At the end of the day that will be set out in a protocol that says what you need to file a claim or not file a claim," she said.
Siskinds said over 30 inquiries seeking compensation have been received, but only the one was received from Sarnia.
Salmonella infections have been reported in eight Canadian provinces, and many of the individuals who became sick reported having eaten cantaloupe before their illnesses occurred.
In its most recent update on December 22, the Public Health Agency of Canada said there were 164 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Soahanina, Sundsvall and Oranienburg illness linked to this outbreak.
At that time 61 individuals had been hospitalized and seven deaths had been reported.