William "Bill" Marler (born ) is an American

personal injury lawyer A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who provides legal services to those who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence of another person, company, government agency or any entity. Personal injury la ...

and

food safety Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from t ...

advocate. He is the managing partner of Marler Clark, a

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington which specializes in

foodborne illness Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...

cases.

Background

In 1993, Marler represented 9-year-old Brianne Kiner in litigation against

Jack in the Box Jack in the Box is an American fast-food restaurant chain founded February 21, 1951, by Robert O. Peterson (1916–1994) in San Diego, California, where it is headquartered. The chain has over 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coas ...

following an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, securing a $15.6 million settlement. He subsequently directed his practice toward foodborne illness, representing many more people affected by diseases such as E. coli,

hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by ''Hepatovirus A'' (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them ...

, and

Salmonellosis Salmonellosis, more commonly known as food poisoning is a symptomatic infection caused by bacteria of the ''Salmonella'' type. It is also a food-borne disease and are defined as diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by a ...

. He has been involved in litigation relating to most of the large foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, representing individuals against large companies such as

Chili's Chili's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain. The company was founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International. History Chili's first location, a converted postal statio ...

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

Dole Dole may refer to: Places * Dole, Ceredigion, Wales * Dole, Idrija, Slovenia * Dole, Jura, France ** Arrondissement of Dole * Dole (Kladanj), a village at the entity line of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Republika Srpska * Dole, Ljubušk ...

, and

ConAgra Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...

. Marler is also involved with OutBreak, a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

under the auspices of Marler Clark. In this capacity he travels extensively, discussing foodborne illness litigation and related issues with

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

groups, fair associations, and

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditiona ...

groups. As a proponent of improved food regulation, Marler has been asked to speak to numerous groups to address the subject, including testimony to both the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

State Senate Governmental Organization Committee and the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Committee on Energy and Commerce A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

. Marler's involvement in the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak is detailed in author

Jeff Benedict Jeff Benedict is an American author, a special features writer for ''Sports Illustrated'', and a television and film producer. He has written for ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times'', and his stories have been the basis for segmen ...

's book ''Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat''. In 2009, Marler founded ''

Food Safety News ''Food Safety News (FSN)'' is an online news publication focusing on food safety. It was founded in 2009 by Bill Marler, a lawyer and food safety advocate. Marler is the Managing Partner of Marler Clark, a Seattle, Washington, law firm that s ...

'' to "fill a void" in food safety's media coverage. He is a regular contributor to the
Food Poison Journal
'. In January 2016, ''

The Daily Meal The Daily Meal is a food and drinks website. It is the first site launched by Spanfeller Media Group. Jim Spanfeller is a former CEO of Forbes.com. In 2016, Spanfeller was acquired by Tribune Publishing. Content The Daily Meal produces original co ...

'' named him one of "America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food for 2016". His professional blog was listed by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

as one of the top 100 legal blogs. And in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' piece
A Bug in the System
, journalist

Wil S. Hylton Wil S. Hylton is an American journalist. He is a contributing writer for ''The New York Times Magazine'' and has published cover stories for ''The New Yorker'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''Esquire'', '' Harper's'', '' Details'', '' GQ'', ''New York'', '' ...

referred to Marler as "the most prominent and powerful food-safety attorney in the country." According to Marler's own estimation he has won over $600 million in food safety judgements for his clients. A January 19, 2020 article in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' detailed Marler's fight for

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

regulations that would ban meat contaminated with certain ''Salmonella'' strains from being sold.

Awards and distinctions

*Seattle University Distinguished Law Graduate Award (2013) *Seattle University Professional Achievement Award (2011) *NSF Food Safety Leadership Award: Innovation in Education (2010) * Public Justice Award, Washington State Trial Lawyer's Association (2008) * Outstanding Lawyer Award, Seattle/King County Bar Association (2008) * "Super Lawyer", Washington State Attorneys (1998–Present) * Governor Appointee, Washington State University Board of Regents (1998-2004) * Distinguished Achievement Award, WSU College of Liberal Arts (1997)

Bibliography

Selected publications

* * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marler, William Living people Washington (state) lawyers Washington State University alumni Seattle University School of Law alumni 1957 births