The case of contaminated Buitoni pizzas continues. Under the authority of the Paris prosecutor’s office since March 22, the investigations are now being carried out by an investigating judge who was appointed on May 12. It is in this context that seven new complaints were filed with civil action, this Friday, at the office of the investigating judge, at the Paris court.
“This will allow us to access the investigation file,” explains Maître Richard Legrand, the lawyer for the families who have just lodged a complaint. These seven complaints are brought by two different families who represent three ten-year-old children contaminated by the E.coli bacterium after having consumed pizzas from the “Fraîch’up” range of the Buitoni brand. “The victims but also the close families who constitute the homes of the victims can lodge a complaint, namely the parents and the spouses”, highlights the lawyer.
“People who believe they have suffered direct harm as a result of the alleged offense can file a complaint and claim damages,” explains Albane Lancrenon, criminal lawyer at de Gaulle Fleurance.
Last week, the NGO Foodwatch also filed two complaints with the Paris court for seven offenses against Buitoni and Kinder respectively, including “marketing of products harmful to health, endangering another’s life and aggravated deception”.
As a reminder, as of May 4, 2022, 56 confirmed cases of hemolytic-uremic syndromes (HUS) and infections with shiga-toxin-producing E.coli bacteria (STEC) linked to the consumption of branded “Fraîch’up” pizzas Buitoni have been identified by Santé Publique France. 55 children and 1 adult were affected, including two deaths.
