Lawyers file class action notice in Sprayground illness
Lauren Stanforth
Staff writer
(September 1, 2005) - Rochester and Seattle attorneys together filed a notice today with the state attorney general's office that they intend to pursue a class action lawsuit against the state for the massive parasitic outbreak that struck Seneca Lake State Park's Sprayground last month.
Tricia Van Putte of Greece is the only individual named in the lawsuit. She appears in the lawsuit on behalf of her two small children who attended the Sprayground on Aug. 11 and contracted cryptosporidiosis, the gastrointestinal illness that is caused by the parasite.
The state found the parasite in the Sprayground's two water tanks in mid-August. The state has said its investigation into how the parasite got there is continuing. More than 3,200 people have reported becoming ill after attending the spray park between June and mid-August.
The notice said a class action lawsuit involving other clients could be started through Van Putte's claim. A notice of claim is not a lawsuit; it is a document that allows attorneys more time to file a lawsuit.
The Seattle attorney specializes in public health outbreak cases.
