In this interesting salmonella poisoning case, an executive with a peanut company was sentenced to 28 years in jail according to multiple media reports. This salmonella poisoning case has garnered national media attention.

Here are links to various articles about the case including the sentence handed down in this salmonella poisoning case.

USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/09/21/peanut-executive-salmonella-sentencing/72549166/

and a AP video from the USA Today web site: http://bcove.me/57ujvcuk

NY Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/09/21/us/ap-us-salmonella-outbreak-sentencing-the-latest.html

As a strong advocate for victim’s rights, I represent families in cases, for example in food poisoning cases, who have suffered unimaginable tragedy as a result of the conduct and decisions of others, including conduct of giant corporations and their employees.  What stands out to me in this case is that the government brought criminal charges against an individual chief executive officer for his role in a salmonella poisoning case that killed unsuspecting innocent victims.

Corporate executives must understand from this case that there is individual accountability for their actions as corporate executive, including criminal accountability. This corporate executive received a lengthy 28 year jail sentence in the federal pen.

I would hope that the government would bring more prosecutions against individuals working for corporations that deliberately take actions that kill people and customers, like in the above salmonella poisoning case.

Its clear that civil liability is not enough. Yes the companies should pay for the harms and losses caused by them and their employees. But the individual employees should also be criminally prosecuted, when the evidence is there of course, that employees engaged in criminal activity in violation of criminal laws.