Publix is being sued over the death of a Florida woman who ate organic frozen blueberries contaminated with E. coli that were sold at its stores, according to a complaint filed last week.
The suit, filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court, alleged Karla Mullins died June 20 after consuming the berries purchased at a Publix store on Ulmerton Road.
Her son ate the same product and was allegedly hospitalized as a result, the suit said.
Chile-based food supplier Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. issued a recall of blueberries on July 3. Publix and distributor Quirch Foods, which is also named in the lawsuit, later expanded the recall on July 29 to cover all of Publix’s GreenWise organic blueberries after it was linked to a multistate outbreak of E. coli.
“This family lost a treasured mother and wife because a product that was supposed to be safe was contaminated with a dangerous and deadly pathogen,” John Morgan and Christian Leger, attorneys at Morgan & Morgan, the injury law firm behind the filing, said in a statement.
“Karla Mullins should be alive today. We intend to hold Publix and Quirch Foods fully accountable for the role they played in putting this product on store shelves and into the hands of unsuspecting customers.”
The lawsuit was filed by Mullins’ surviving husband, Richard Mullins, and son, Spencer Mullins.
The suit alleges Publix and Quirch should be held responsible for “failing to adequately perform inspections and quality assurance” of the blueberries.
The contaminated blueberries were shipped to Publix stores in eight states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Mullins purchased the contaminated blueberries from a Publix location in Florida on or around May 21, according to the lawsuit.
At least 12 people in Florida and Georgia were sickened by the blueberries and four were hospitalized, the FDA said on July 30.
E. coli is a nasty bacteria that can cause an infection characterized by symptoms like stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
In more serious cases, especially among those with weakened immune systems, children and the elderly, infections can cause kidney failure or even death.
Publix and Quirch Foods did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
