Lawsuit filed after 40 people get food poisoning at wedding reception

Editor's note: There was a settlement in this case in February 2017.

A salmonella outbreak caused 46 people at four events — most of them at a wedding reception — to become ill with salmonella food poisoning or related symptoms, the Lake County Health Department reported.

Larry Mackey, deputy director of the health department's population health services division, said the department can't pinpoint the cause of any outbreak with 100 percent accuracy, but all of the cases have “a direct association” to events catered on Aug. 29, 2015, by a Libertyville caterer.

Two of the 40 people who got sick after eating food at the wedding have filed a lawsuit against Catered Productions of Libertyville.

Catered Productions owner Mike Proskin said his company is not to blame for the salmonella outbreak and has been in business for 20 years without incident. Health department officials confirmed there is no history of problems.

“They haven't really found the source (of the salmonella) yet. Nothing's been conclusive,” Proskin said, saying other food and drink vendors served the events and none of the food served that day was tested. “Since the date of this event, we've served thousands of meals and continue to do so. With recommendations from the health department, we've upgraded our facility and upgraded some of our procedures. We've been in 100 percent compliance with the health department and worked hand-in-hand to find the source.”

The 46 cases of salmonella food poisoning (17 lab confirmed, 20 probable cases, and nine suspected cases) were at events catered by Catered Productions on Aug. 29: a wedding reception at the Civil War Museum in Kenosha, Wis.; Muck Fest at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake; a Lake Forest High School swim meet; and a silent retreat at the Mundelein Seminary. They were among 19 events the company catered that day, the health department report stated.

A subsequent inspection of Catered Productions' kitchens found several food safety violations, one employee who tested positive for salmonella after eating the food, and issues related to cleanliness and storage of food. The business corrected the problems and is now operating in compliance, Mackey said.

In their lawsuit filed Oct. 7 against Proskin Enterprises Inc., formerly Catered Productions, Karl and Debora Newyear of Waukegan allege negligence, product liability and breach of contract.

Karl Newyear, a 59-year-old graphic artist, said he and his wife, Debora, 57, started having food poisoning symptoms the day after the wedding and both ended up in the emergency room.

Debora was sick for a week and missed several days of work. Karl was sick for two weeks with diarrhea and severe stomach cramps, he said. More than a month later, both still feel fatigued from the illness, he said.

“All we did was go to a wedding and eat their food. Something that everybody does. And we became dangerously sick,” Karl Newyear said. “It's been rough, this last month.”

The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $50,000.