A Legionnaires disease outbreak that occurred in Moncton, Canada, in 2019 has sparked several lawsuits. Twelve of the Sixteen individuals that were known to be infected are suing Organigram, a Moncton based cannabis grower. They allege that Organigram failed to properly test and maintain its cooling towers, which resulted in this outbreak. In 2019, this outbreak hospitalized 15 of the 16 individuals that were infected with Legionnaires’ disease. All the plaintiffs either lived, worked near, or travelled by Organigram before becoming symptomatic. The cases make three main accusations. They allege that Organigram was negligent in maintaining the cooling towers, that Organigram had a duty of care to maintain its cooling towers, and Organigram failed to announce the risk to the public in a timely manner. Organigram has acknowledged in its legal filings that the high Legionella count in the company’s cooling tower coincided with the outbreak but has denied any wrongdoing. Cooling towers are often the source of Legionnaires disease outbreaks. If they are not properly tested and maintained, they provide ideal growth conditions for the Legionella bacteria. If a cooling tower is contaminated with Legionella bacteria, a person can be infected by walking down the sidewalk near a cooling tower. The victims are then exposed to contaminated water droplets that fall from the towers above them. [1] For more information on Legionnaires’ disease lawsuits, check out our page on lawsuits and compensation. Click here for a free consultation with Jules Zacher. For more information on Legionnaires’ disease, check out the National Academies of Sciences Management of Legionella in Water Systems Report Here. THE MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY JULES ZACHER, P.C. FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT LEGAL ADVICE OR A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL COUNSEL. [1] Find local reporting on this here.