Costco Hepatitis A Berries Settlement Website Established

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A website for Class Members in a Costco hepatitis A berries class action lawsuit has been launched.

While the website is live, it is not accepting claims yet. Top Class Actions will provide claim filing instructions as soon as they become available.

Meanwhile, viewers will receive an email notice when this article is updated with more information by using a free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.

Class Members include residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon or Washington who ate Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend frozen berry-mix purchased at a Costco.

The berry blend purchased must have been recalled on June 4, 2013 or June 28, 2013.

Class Members must also have learned about the alleged hepatitis A contamination of the Townsend berries within two weeks of eating the product, as well as required the need for preventative treatment.

Further, to be eligible, Class Members must have received a hepatitis-A vaccine or immune globin as a result.

A Court has not yet ruled on the allegations in the Costco hepatitis A berries class action lawsuit, rather the website serves as a place for Class Members to get more information about the case.

Lead plaintiffs accused the wholesale retailer of selling Townsend Farms berry mix that had pomegranate seeds contaminated with hepatitis A, leading to an outbreak of the liver disease.

The Centers for Disease Control announced the outbreak to the public in 2013. More than 100 people contracted hepatitis A as a result of the contamination, according to reports.

Costco pulled the product from the shelves after it was notified by the CDC and the product was subject to a recall by the Food and Drug Administration.

The contamination reportedly stemmed from pomegranates sourced from Turkey. The product, Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend, a frozen berry and pomegranate seed mix, was only sold at Costco stores.

Plaintiffs alleged that after they learned of the outbreak linked to the Townsend berry blend they purchased, they spent their own money to get tested for and vaccinated against the disease.

Three class action lawsuits were originally filed in 2013 after news of the outbreak reached consumers.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease. Those who contract it can suffer for months. Some symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, jaundice or a yellowing of the skin and eyes, aches and pains, chills, and dark colored urine.

A federal judge certified the proposed Class in the Costco hepatitis A class action lawsuit in 2016. The Court also denied Costco’s attempt to nix the class action lawsuit based on procedural grounds.

In late 2018, Costco agreed to reimburse consumers for the any medical expenses related to the contaminated berries as a part of a proposed settlement deal. Class Members may be eligible to receive up to $80 in reimbursement under the terms of the agreement.

For more information about the Costco hepatitis A berries class action lawsuit, Class Members can call (800) 692-0130. To register for updates in the class action lawsuit, click here. 

The plaintiffs and certified Classes are represented by William D. Marler and Denis Stearns of Marler Clark LLP.

The Costco Hepatitis A Berries Class Action Lawsuit is Jacob Petersen, et al. v. Costco Wholesale Co. Inc., et al., Case No. 8:13-cv-01292, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.