Suit Says New Mexico Boy Was Sickened by JBS Swift Beef

July 10, 2009

A New Mexico boy who got sick after eating sirloin from JBS Swift Beef Co. has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages against the Greeley, Colo.-based company.

JBS Swift has recalled 380,000 pounds of beef due to connections with outbreaks of E. coli.

Thirteen-year-old Alex Roerick and his mother, Hollie, of Albuquerque filed their lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver.

Their lawyer, Bill Marler, said that Alex developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, after eating shish kabobs made from the meat in May. Marler’s firm also represents a California client who developed the illness after eating the meat.

A JBS Swift representative was not immediately available to comment.