Bride: Salmonella Contracted In Long Beach Ruined My Wedding

A Long Beach woman is suing Brixx & Barley Restaurant in Long Beach, claiming that salmonella she contracted at the restaurant ruined her wedding.

Brixx & Barley was shut down by the Nassau County Department of Health on Aug. 9 after several cases of salmonella were traced back to food and drink served at the restaurant. Health officials said the exposure to the disease could go back to early July. The restaurant reopened on Aug. 21.

Lauren Cooper, who filed a lawsuit in Nassau County Supreme Court, alleges that she was one of those exposed and that the illness ruined her wedding.

Cooper's attorney, Bill Marler, said she ate at the restaurant on July 13, a week before her wedding. Her symptoms began soon after, Marler said, and included severe back pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

On July 20, her wedding day, Cooper was still suffering gastrointestinal problems, Marler said, as well as a high fever.

Plagued by the sickness, Marler said, Cooper was forced to miss pictures with her family, and has barely any memory of her ceremony or her reception. At 12:15 a.m. on July 21, Cooper was rushed to the hospital, where her salmonella infection was confirmed. She was admitted for treatment, and her honeymoon had to be postponed.

Paul Nunes, a partner at Heisman, Nunes & Hull who is assisting on Cooper's case, said Cooper is seeking unspecified damages for her suffering. Nunes is working with the Marler Clark law firm, a national firm that specializes in cases about foodborne illness.

"It's a number that could make Lauren Cooper whole for the pain and suffering she suffered from the salmonella exposure," Nunes said. "We can only imagine what it's like to be sick on your wedding day."

Nunes said that he and Marler have been contacted by others who claim to have been sickened by eating at Brixx & Barley. He said not everyone goes to the hospital after contracting an illness like salmonella, but they might still have a case against the restaurant.

"I remember falling victim to salmonella way too many years ago," Nunes said. "It's not fun, but I didn't go to the hospital for it. Those folks [who didn't go to the hospital] also may have claims against the restaurant. You don't have to go to a doctor to get diagnosed. You can have other confirmation of your illness. But you need to have confirmation you ate there."