Pet food case settled

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

CAMDEN, N.J. -- A federal judge in Camden Friday approved a $24 million settlement for thousands of owners whose animals were sickened by tainted pet food.

The deal, worked out last week, resolves more than 100 lawsuits filed in the United States and Canada since an epidemic of sick pets began last year.

Lawyers said Friday an estimated 1,500 pets died from commercially sold food that contained tainted wheat gluten grown in China. Thousands more were made ill.

Pet owners would be reimbursed for documented medical expenses, as well as up to $900 for undocumented costs, such as wages lost while caring for the animals, property damage and transportation costs.

The main defendant in the case was Menu Foods, a Canadian manufacturer of about 100 of the contaminated product lines.

The defendants previously paid $8 million to settle other claims.

Thousands of pet owners are to receive notice of the settlement by June 16 and will have until early December to submit claims. The goal is to wrap up the case at a hearing Oct. 14.

Plaintiffs' attorneys asked for 25 percent of the settlement in fees. Any settlement money left over would be donated to animal-welfare charities.

A Web site will be established to inform pet owners on the settlement, attorneys said.