On June 8, 2014, defendant Lansal, Inc. recalled 304 six-ounce plastic containers of Trader Joe’s Egg White Salad with Chives that it had manufactured and distributed for sale at defendant Trader Joe’s locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The recall occurred because defendant Lansal, Inc. had detected the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of the recalled product during a routine testing by the company.

On May 19, 2014, Lansal, Inc. also recalled 14,860 pounds of hummus and dip products due to contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. The hummus and dip products were produced at the same facility as the recalled Trader Joe’s Egg White Salad with Chives products.

Vladimir Sokhatskiy consumed the Trader Joe’s Egg White Salad in early June 2014. The 57 year old is a resident of Lake County, Illinois. In 2005, Vladimir was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, for which he began chemotherapy. As a result, he had a suppressed immune system, making him highly susceptible to bacterial infection.

Several days after consuming the Egg White Salad, Mr. Sokhatskiy developed a fever and headache. His symptoms worsened and he was hospitalized at Highland Park Hospital with a fever of 104. Symptoms continued to worsen after being released and he had to return for further hospitalization. He underwent a lumbar puncture for testing of his cerebrospinal fluid. Test results showed that he had developed bacterial meningitis. Shortly thereafter, tests would confirm that the bacteria responsible for causing his meningitis condition was Listeria monocytogenes. Mr. Sokhatskiy was hospitalized in a nursing and rehabilitation facility until June 25, 2014. He continues in his treatment for Listeriosis, receiving home and health care and intravenous antibiotics, which will continue through at least the end of July 2014.