Unpasteurized carrot juice made by Bolthouse Farms was responsible for four cases of botulism in the United States and three in Canada in late 2006.  The Bakersfield, CA-based company dropped unpasteurized carrot juice from its product lineup after it caused the botulism outbreak.

The latest development is a lawsuit in Canada filed on behalf of Susanna Chen and her husband, Andy Valy.  Both nearly died after drinking the unpasteurized carrot juice in August 2006.   Ms. Chen drank the juice first, and was in the hospital when Mr. Valy drank the same product because he was not aware of what made his wife sick.

Both fell into comas and it weeks passed before health officials figured out they were dealing with deadly botulism poisoning.  Bolthouse Farms blames the couple for not keeping the juice cold enough.

The National Post reported that the couple's lawyer sees it differently. The NP says:

"Michael Shannon, a lawyer representing the couple, disagrees. “They refrigerated the product, they just drank a toxic cocktail that they weren’t aware of.”  Mr. Shannon refused to disclose the amount the couple is suing for, except to say they will be launching a suit in the United States for pain and suffering.

Ms. Chen remains in a rehabilitation center and Mr. Valy was only discharged from the hospital in January.  Health officials say they had among the most severe botulism anyone has survived.

Go here for the complete NP story.