ConAgra blamed for peanut butter salmonella poisoning seven years ago

The parents of a girl have filed suit against the peanut butter manufacturer that they claim caused their daughter to contract salmonella poisoning after ingesting the substance.

Lonnie and Penny Hill claim their daughter, Cara Hill, ingested Peter Pan peanut butter, which was purchased from Country Market on or before Nov. 19, 2006. After eating the peanut butter within days of the purchase, Cara Hill became seriously ill, according to the complaint filed May 16 in Madison County Circuit Court.

The Hills allege the peanut butter was contaminated with salmonella, which had caused their daughter’s illness and a permanent condition called ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of arthritis that affects the spine.

In addition to her injuries and her permanent condition, Cara Hill incurred medical costs, suffered emotionally and physically and lost her normal life while she was attempting to recover from her injuries, the suit states.

The Hills blame ConAgra Foods for contributing to their daughter’s injuries, saying the company manufactured the salmonella-infused peanut butter. They also name Country Market as a defendant, saying it sold the peanut butter to them, failed to inspect it before its sale, failed to timely notify customers of the salmonella issue, failed to timely recall the peanut butter and failed to timely remove the peanut butter from its shelves.

In their three-count complaint, the Hills seek a judgment of more than $300,000, plus costs.

Michael P. Glisson of Williamson, Webster, Falb and Glisson in Alton will be representing them.

Madison County Circuit Court case number: 13-L-772.