Dive Brief:
- The family that owns Jensen Farms has "assigned" their lawsuit against food-safety auditor Primus Labs to the victims of a listeria outbreak.
- The unusual move means the Jensens have essentially removed themselves from the lawsuit. Any settlement or judgment in the case will be split among the victims and their families. At least 33 people died after eating contaminated cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
- After the outbreak, the Jensens filed suit for negligence against Primus Labs. Jensen Farms had hired Primus to look at safety standards at Jensen Farms. But Primus assigned the work to a subcontractor, Bio Food Safety.
Dive Insight:
Nothing can bring back the people who were lost. But we can't help but feel that this gesture will go a long way to easing the pain of the families. The Jensens have taken some unusual steps since the outbreak ... pleading guilty for their role in the outbreak, agreeing to meet with victims families, etc. There's something about them that feels ... classy. And we don't see much of that in business anymore.