Yountville's Redd Settles Wrongful Death Suit

January brought news that 10-year-old Yountville restaurant Redd was being sued for wrongful death by the family of a San Diego man who suffered food poisoning that was attributed to undercooked scallops eaten at the restaurant. Now, the restaurant has settled out of court to terms agreeable to both parties after the plaintiff’s attorneys requested dismissal in Napa County Superior Court.

Plaintiffs Kristy Keckley, Ashley Sacknoff and Stefanie Sacknoff sued Redd for unspecified damages due to strict product liability, negligence and breach of implied warranties, as well as wrongful death damages after their father Larry Sacknoff, 61, ate scallops at the restaurant on July 21, 2013 with two friends, and they all experienced diarrhea, which they attributed to the scallops.

The two friends eventually felt better, but Sacknoff, who had recently undergone a heart transplant, had a compromised immune system at the time and did not get better. He eventually died a year later on August 16, 2014 due to complications caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacteria found in estuarine or marine environments, according to court documents.

In the fall the family reached a confidential settlement with Pierless Fish Corp., Redd’s scallop supplier, and now Redd has settled out of court as well to avoid “the cost of defending the lawsuit,” though the restaurant has made no admission of wrongdoing. The terms of settlement are confidential.