A feed company has been sued for allegedly supplying tainted hay cubes that led to the death of 20 horses and permanent injuries to five others.
The federal lawsuit against Manzanola Feeds was filed by plaintiffs including Bobby Cox, Cox-Lane LLC, Jerome Bellard, Dominic Bellard, Scott Lejeune, Jerry Blackmon, Kimberly Blackmon, Blackmon Quarter Horses LLC, Dan Wasserbeck, Jesus Manuel Carbajal Ortega, Alonzo Elizondo and Kenneth Ward.
The plaintiffs claim that after purchasing 960 bags of Top of the Rockies alfalfa hay cubes from Manzanola Feeds in November 2022, multiple horses stabled at Cox Stallion Station suffered acute illnesses after consuming the product. Subsequent investigations confirmed the presence of Clostridium botulinum, or equine botulism, in the affected horses. Manzanola Feeds initiated a voluntary recall of its alfalfa hay cubes product on December 12, 2022, due to a multi-state foodborne outbreak.
The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages, interests and court costs.
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