Florida woman sues Boar’s Head, Publix over husband’s listeria death

A Hernando County woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sarasota-based Boar’s Head and Lakeland-headquartered Publix after her husband died following a listeriosis diagnosis. Judith Adams alleges negligence on the part of both the deli meat manufacturer and the supermarket for distributing meat contaminated with listeria.

Judith Adams purchased Boar’s Head tavern ham at the Brooksville Publix twice in April, which her husband, Otis Adams, 79, consumed before he became ill at the end of the month with symptoms like weakness, diarrhea, fatigue and a fever, the lawsuit says.

As his illness became worse, Judith Adams contacted her husband's cardiologist, fearing it had something to do with his heart condition, and was told on May 2 to go to the hospital, where he was subsequently diagnosed with listeriosis, the suit says. His sickness progressed and infected his blood, giving him meningitis and sepsis, causing kidney failure, according to the lawsuit, which states Otis Adams died on May 5.

In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched an investigation into a listeria outbreak that it traced to Boar's Head deli meat.

Boar’s Head first recalled liverwurst July 26 due to the potential for listeria; on July 30, it expanded the recall to include about 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that came from its facility in Jarratt, Virginia, according to the CDC.

Due to the listeria outbreak, the CDC reports 59 people have been hospitalized across 19 states. Ten deaths have been reported in connection with the outbreak.

Judith Adams filed the wrongful death lawsuit Oct. 23 in Sarasota County Circuit Court. Hers is the latest case brought against Boar's Head, which is based out of an office on Main Street in downtown Sarasota. Other lawsuits filed against Boar’s Head in connection with the listeria outbreak include a wrongful death case following the death of a Virginia man due to listeriosis; personal injury lawsuits brought by those sickened in Alabama, Minnesota and Missouri; and a class-action lawsuit over false advertising filed in New York, the Business Observer previously reported.

Boar's Head in September permanently closed its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, where the listeria outbreak originated and discontinued its production of liverwurst. It has also established a food safety council and food safety advisor to enhance its safety processes at the company.

Neither Boar's Head nor Publix immediately responded to a request for comment on this article. Boar's Head officials have not commented on past lawsuits or the listeria outbreak, other than statements posted on its website and social media.