A Tampa judge on Tuesday awarded $4 million in damages in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Sarasota-based Big Olaf Creamery on behalf of an Illinois woman who died in January 2022.
The estate of Mary Billman filed the federal lawsuit in July. It claimed that Billman died from a listeria infection less than two weeks after she ate at a Big Olaf location during a visit to Florida.
The decision on Tuesday awarded Richard Billman, Mary's husband, $3 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages.
A second lawsuit was filed in July against Big Olaf, which claimed a Massachusetts woman suffered a listeria infection and a miscarriage after eating ice cream at Beverly’s Ice Cream, which the suit said exclusively sold ice cream manufactured by Big Olaf Creamery.
Also in July, the FDA announced an official recall of Big Olaf products after listeria was found inside the company's processing facility.
According to the CDC, the outbreak linked to Big Olaf led spanned 11 states and led to 27 hospitalizations and one death. The CDC lists the investigation as closed on its website.
Listeria is a deadly bacteria that causes symptoms like fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. It can be treated with antibiotics, but it is especially dangerous to pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
Listeria is one of the most dangerous forms of food poisoning. Symptoms usually start one to four weeks after eating contaminated food, but can start as soon as the same day. The first cases occurred in January of this year, but have continued through June, CDC officials said.
