William Marler (Bill) is the managing partner in the law firm Marler Clark L.L.P., P.S. Since 1993, Bill has represented thousands of victims of E. coli, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Listeria, Shigella, Campylobacter and Norovirus illnesses in over thirty States.
Food poisoning lawsuits against companies responsible for introducing contaminated food into our food supply have become the focus of Bill’s professional career as an attorney. Bill’s first client who was injured after consuming contaminated food was nine-year-old Brianne Kiner, who fell with an E. coli O157:H7 infection and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome after eating a contaminated hamburger during the now-infamous Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak of 1993. Bill negotiated a $15.6 million settlement for Brianne’s injuries, a record in the State of Washington for personal injury cases. He resolved several other cases from the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak for over $2.5 million each.
Bill, known as the “E. coli lawyer,” has since represented thousands of people sickened or killed in outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 and other food borne pathogens, including Salmonella, Hepatitis, Shigella, Campylobacter, Norovirus, and Listeria. In 1998, he negotiated a reported $12 million settlement for the families of children who fell ill after drinking E. coli-contaminated apple juice sold by Odwalla; and in 2001, a jury awarded the families of eleven children Bill represented $4.6 million for the injuries they received during an E. coli outbreak traced to school lunch served at Finley Elementary School in Finley, Washington. He also resolved dozens of E. coli cases in 2003 related to one of the largest meat recalls in United States history. Bill recently settled an E. coli case in New York for a young girl for $11 million. Bill was also able to secure a $6.25 million settlement on behalf of a client who suffered a kidney transplant as part of the Chi-Chi’s Hepatitis A outbreak.


Bill has also been lead counsel in litigation stemming from the following:
Seneca Lake State Park Cryptosporidium Outbreak
Dole Lettuce E. coli Outbreak
Sheetz Salmonella Outbreak
Paramount Farms Salmonella Outbreak
Sequoias Portola Valley E. coli Outbreak
Gold Coast Produce E. coli Outbreak
Golden Corral Salmonella Outbreak
Habanero’s E. coli Outbreak
Chili’s Salmonella Outbreak
Peninsula Village E. coli Outbreak
Harmony Farms Salmonella Outbreak
Clarkston Quality Inn Salmonella Outbreak
KFC Salmonella Outbreak
Spokane Produce – E. coli Outbreak
Emmpak E. coli Outbreak
King Garden E. coli Outbreak
BJ’s E. coli Outbreak
ConAgra E. coli Outbreak
Brook-Lea Salmonella Outbreak
Kunick Salmonella Outbreak
Western Sizzlin’ Salmonella Outbreak
Shipley Sales Salmonella Outbreak
Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel Norwalk Outbreak
Robeson School District E. coli Outbreak
Abbott Cheese Listeria Outbreak
Black Forrest Salmonella Outbreak
Bauer Meat E. coli Outbreak
Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Outbreak
Golden Corral E. coli Outbreak
Sun Orchard Salmonella Outbreak
Subway Hepatitis A Outbreak
San Antonio Taco Salmonella Outbreak
Karl Ehmer E. coli Outbreak
Supervalu E. coli Outbreak
Linh’s Bakery Salmonella Outbreak
McDonalds Hepatitis A Outbreak
China Buffet E. coli Outbreak
Royal Fork Shigella Outbreak
Kentucky Fried Chicken E. coli Outbreak
D’Angelo’s Hepatitis A Outbreak
Viva Mexico Shigella Outbreak
Sizzler E. coli Outbreak
Carl’s Jr. Hepatitis A Outbreak
Wendy’s E. coli Outbreak
Senor Felix Shigella Outbreak
Excel E. coli Outbreak
Bill speaks frequently on issues of safe food and formed Outbreak, Inc., a non-profit business dedicated to training companies on how to avoid food borne diseases. He has been chosen by the attorneys of the State of Washington as a “Super Lawyer,” he has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys. He is married to Julie Marler and they have three daughters, Morgan, Olivia and Sydney. Bill is a past board member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers, a member of the board of directors of Bainbridge Youth Services, and a member of the Children’s Hospital Circle of Care. He is involved in numerous other civic and political causes.