Litigation support

A food manufacturer was being sued for damages as a result of  the presence of a malodorous organic molecule in the packaging of a foodstuff exported overseas.  On behalf of the client, the manufacturer's legal counsel, an investigation of the circumstances of the incident was carried out.  Based on a chemical analyses of the spoiled product, a literature search and discussions with experts in natural products chemistry, the contaminant  was traced back to microbial metabolism of a preservative from the wooden shipping containers, which in turn led to the conclusion that these containers had been improperly stored on deck during transoceanic transport and as a result, had become wet, leading to the microbial growth.

Once this fact was established, the client was thus able to successfully show that  full responsibilty for the spoilage and hence the damages did not lie with the food manufacturer, but rather with the shipping company.