Residents of California and Washington state who allege they fell ill with E. coli infections after eating salads purchased from Trader Joe’s last year have filed lawsuits against the retailer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 33 people from 4 states who fell ill with E. coli infections after eating salads or wraps manufactured by Glass Onion Catering in October and November of last year. The salads and wraps were sold by Trader Joe’s and other retailers. Attorney Bill Marler represents 6 plaintiffs who have filed lawsuits in connection with the Glass Onion Catering E. coli outbreak. He said that while Trader Joe’s was not named as a defendant in two lawsuits filed against Glass Onion Catering last year, his firm made the decision to add the retailer as a defendant in all lawsuit brought on behalf of plaintiffs who purchased salads or wraps at Trader Joe’s stores. “Retailers need to be held accountable for what they sell,” said Marler, whose law firm, Marler Clark, underwrites Food Safety News. Marler’s clients include 4 California residents and 2 Washington residents who allege that they were part of the Glass Onion Catering E. coli outbreak. One of his clients is a California woman who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication of E. coli infection that can lead to kidney failure. “In my opinion, over the last two decades retailers have begun to care less about the safety of what they sell just as long as it sells.  Retailers now try to push blame for the sale of tainted food that sickens customers onto everyone but themselves,” Marler continued. “That needs to stop.”