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(AP) - A Minnesota woman who became ill and was
hospitalized after eating beef contaminated with E. coli has sued
the companies that produced and sold the meat, claiming they acted
with negligence.

      An attorney for Anne Herwig filed the lawsuit Wednesday against
meat producer PM Beef Holdings, LLC, and retailer Lund Food
Holdings, Inc. 

The lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court seeks
undisclosed damages for Herwig's pain and suffering, medical
expenses, emotional distress and other suffering.

      Herwig is one of seven Minnesotans affected by an E. coli
outbreak this spring that led PM Beef to voluntarily recall 117,500
pounds of beef trim products that were sent to distributors and
retailers in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio,
Virginia and Wisconsin.

      The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the beef trim was
produced on March 27 and turned into ground beef sold under many
different retail brand names. 

In Minnesota, officials have said it
was ground at the stores where it was sold -- Byerly's and Lunds.

      William Marler, Herwig's attorney, said in a statement that
"meat suppliers must keep their focus on preventing contamination
from happening."

      According to the lawsuit, Herwig purchased ground beef on April
18 and ate it the next day. Five days later, she became ill with
symptoms of E. coli, including bloody diarrhea. 

She was
hospitalized twice between April 25 and April 30, and has yet to
make a full recovery, the complaint says.

      Symptoms of E. coli include stomach cramps that may be severe
and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. E. coli
can sometimes lead to complications including kidney failure.

      A message left Wednesday at PM Beef, which has a plant in
Windom, was not immediately returned. Company spokesman John
Hagerla has said that no E. coli was found inside the PM Beef
facility.

      A spokesman for Lund Food Holdings was looking into the issue
and had no immediate comment.

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A Minnesota woman who became ill and was
hospitalized after eating beef contaminated with E. coli has sued
the companies that produced and sold the meat, claiming they acted
with negligence.


Minnesota woman sues after she contracted E. coli

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