An Alberta court has
approved a $4-million settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed against XL
Foods Inc. of Brooks, Alta., after an E. coli outbreak in 2012.
Eighteen people got sick
and 1.8 million pounds of beef was recalled.
It was the largest recall
in Canadian history, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency shut down the plant,
sparred with the owners and would not allow it to reopen until a thorough
cleansing of the plant and equipment.
The family-owned plant was
sold to JBS USA.
Lawyer Clint Docken said
hundreds of people in Canada and the United States could apply for a share of
the award by the Aug. 17 deadline.
"Now it is all settled
and there is the consumer component and the injury component," he said
Wednesday.
"People who threw out
the product can apply to get their money back and people who ate the product
and got sick can apply for compensation for their injury."
Under the agreement, which
refers to possible E. coli contamination, XL Foods does not accept any
wrongdoing or liability.
