Archived
Prominent Foodborne Illness Lawyer to Speak at Forum Oct. 7
Bill Marler, the most prominent foodborne illness lawyer in the United States, will give a forum address on Friday, Oct. 7, at 11 a.m. in the Stoddard Center at Southern Virginia University.
Marler also will give a lecture and take questions on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. in the Main Hall Ballroom.
Marler has been litigating foodborne illness cases since 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the historic Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. The 2011 book, “Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat,” by Jeff Benedict, best-selling author and distinguished professor of writing and mass media at Southern Virginia, chronicles the Jack in the Box outbreak and the rise of Marler as a food safety attorney.
Marler has represented victims of nearly every large foodborne illness outbreak in the United States. He has served on the board of the Washington State Trial Lawyers, as a member of the board of directors of Bainbridge Youth Services, as president of the board of regents at Washington State University and as a member of the Children’s Hospital Circle of Care.
Additionally, Marler is a frequent writer on foodborne illness. He has published numerous articles and is the publisher of the online news site, “Food Safety News.” He has received many awards, including the NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Education, the Outstanding Lawyer Award by the King County Bar Association and the Public Justice Award from the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association.
He received three bachelor’s degrees — in political science, economics and English — from Washington State University. He then received a juris doctorate from Seattle University School of Law in 1987, and in 1988 was the law school’s Lawyer in Residence. In 2011, he received Seattle University’s Professional Achievement Award.
He and his wife, Julie, have three daughters, Morgan, Olivia and Sydney.
Community members and Southern Virginia faculty, staff and students are invited to hear forum and devotional speakers each Friday morning at 11 a.m. in the Stoddard Center. Recordings of past forum and devotional speeches may be accessed online.