QPP workers seek legal help for illness

A Rochester law firm specializing in personal injury cases has been contacted by Quality Pork Processors employees affected by a neurological illness, and is now advertising on the Internet specifically seeking other employees.

Meshbesher & Spence has placed an advertisement on the search engine Google saying, “If you worked on the kill floor after December 2006 contact us for help,” with contact information listed.

A confirmed 11 people who worked at the “head table” on the kill floor at QPP have been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which causes numbness of limbs. QPP made a public announcement Dec. 3 after state health officials said an illness affecting employees was linked to exposure at the hog-processing plant. The cause of the illness is still unknown.

Attorney Paul Dahlberg of Meshbesher & Spence said employees affected by the disorder have contacted his law firm, but will not reveal how many or what action they plan to take.

“We want people to understand they need to talk to an attorney if they are having the neurologic problems and they worked on the kill floor,” Dahlberg said. “There may be legal remedies for them.”

Dahlberg said the options available to employees depend on their particular circumstance. His law firm, which also has offices in Minneapolis, Woodbury/St. Paul and St. Cloud, deals primarily with drug litigation and product liability law. Dahlberg said these cases are similar to the situation at QPP.

“It’s is very unusual in the law for there to be a wrong without a remedy,” he said. “I think there’s a great deal of fear with being involved in the legal process.”

For Spanish-speaking QPP employees, Dahlberg said they have translators available, and there are services in Austin and Albert Lea that can be referenced for those people who want to seek help.

“I’m well aware of that circumstance,” he said. “It is something that worries me.”

Potential action could be workers’ compensation or claims against manufacturers, he said. Employees affected by the illness who no longer work for QPP can still seek legal advice or action.

“At this time it is too early to know what that will be like,” Dahlberg said, but did say “there probably will be” action taken by some of his clients.

“These people didn’t do anything wrong, they were just doing their jobs,” he said.

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