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RSS for Pet DishAccording to a story in USA Today, Menu Foods and other pet food makers and retailers agreed to set up a $24 million fund (this is in addition to $8 million previously paid out to owners) in large part to compensate hundreds of people who filed lawsuits after their pets were injured or died as a result of kidney failure linked to the contaminant Melamine in 180 brands of pet food and treats.
These details from a story in The Philadelphia Inquirer got my attention:
Pet owners could receive $900 for ‘reasonable economic damages submitted without documentation.' ... damages could include travel expenses, property damage (to carpets, for example), lost wages, ‘or any other expense related to the pet's illness or death.'
Apparently accepting "undocumented" expenses is a Big Deal. According to an unnamed lawyer quoted in the Inquirer story, these expenses are a way to compensate for emotional damages without coming out and acknowledging emotional damages directly. In other words, the settlement continues to pretend that pets are just property.
This really irks me. When pet food manufacturers market their products, they happily extol the value of pets as members of the family. They play on our love and commitment to giving our companions all the best. But when it comes to their responsibility in poisoning our best buddies, they maintain the fiction that a dog and a cat can be replaced like a lamp and a chair.
If and when the settlement is approved by a judge (maybe as early as next Friday), pet guardians affected by the tainted food should be able to learn about their eligibility for compensation and other details via a toll-free number and Web site.
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
Comments
Post a commentIn 2006, my little pomeranian "Chucky" had to be put down from kidney failure after his eating only two pouches of your dogfood. I heard on the news that day about the contaminated food and so took one bag to my vet.I looked on your internet site and found the bags of food were from the contaminated batch.70291798 I called and left my name and number with Menu Foods, but never heard a word.
Our little dog couldn't be replaced...we had more than $900 invested in our little guy We don't want him to have suffered and died for no reason. He was our tiny 3lb hero and we miss him still.
We did not bury or cremate him because we never knew if we'd need to have him autopsied to prove what happened. We have the remaining food from the poison batch that killed our little Chucky and we have his body frozen.
How may we file a claim to the $900 compensation for affected pet owners. Is our "Chucky" on your list? If not, please let us know where to send the proof he was poisoned by the food? Do we need to have an autopsy performed? If so, will we be compensated for the expense?Please respond this time. Sincerely Judy 208 476-3484
Hi Judith,
Sorry to hear about your terrible experience with Chucky. According to settlement agreement posted at the Menu Foods website, people with potential claims should contact the claims administrator for the liability litigation, c/o Heffler, Radetich & Saitta LLP, P.O. Box 890, Philadelphia, PA 19105-0890, 1-800-392-7785. For more information visit the settlement website at www.petfoodsettlement.com.
I hope this helps address your questions.
Lisa
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