Although there is still no trial date on the horizon, in a major development on the listerioris saga, Tiger Brands is talking to the attorneys of more than 1 000 victims as it seeks to agree on relief for those who have urgent medical needs.
The company said this is despite liability having not yet been determined, and while it is also “engaging on measures to arrive at a speedier resolution of the class action overall”.
News24 reports that it did not disclose what amounts were involved.
In its statement, Tiger Brands also noted that it had “product liability insurance cover appropriate for a group of its size”, although coverage is subject to terms and limits.
The world’s deadliest listeriosis outbreak hit SA at the start of 2017, resulting in more than 200 deaths.
Last month, the claimants’ legal representative Richard Spoor Incorporated (RSI) accused Tiger Brands of delaying tactics in the ongoing litigation in the matter, which started six years ago. It also estimated the damages in the case to range between R1.5bn and R2.5bn.
On the latest development, Richard Spoor said the “engagements are taking place” but said would not comment on the details.
He added that while more than 1 000 victims had been identified, his firm was still hoping to find and identify more.
As for how much the claim will ultimately be, he said the process for determining this was ongoing and that it was important for both parties to have some kind of agreement on what this would be.
“We are using actuaries and medical legal experts and trying to narrow down those parameters because … the range R1.5bn to R2.5bn is huge. We need to narrow that down and we are working on that.”
The case is still awaiting a trial date, and Spoor said the two main issues outstanding included Tiger Brands’ expert reports and a meeting between the parties’ respective experts to try to narrow the differences.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
‘Overwhelming evidence’, but listeriosis case still on pause
Listeriosis victims still awaiting justice
Tiger Brands’ listeriosis victims in legal limbo for 3 years