Steven Trunnell

Steven Trunnell is the husband of the late Judy Trunnell, first American to die from the swine flu.Wish TV: Texas Woman with Flu Dies (May 6, 2009)

On May 11, 2009, Steven Trunnell filed a wrongful-death petition in the District Court of Cameron County, Texas. The petition alleges that Smithfield Foods, a U.S.-based pork company, may be involved with the swine flu outbreak which resulted in the May 5, 2009 death of Judy Trunnell. If there is enough evidence to support the claim, Trunnell will amend his pleading to hold Smithfield Foods liable for up to $1 billion in damages.Science: Texan Alleges Mexican Pig Farm May Be Liable (May 14, 2009) In the first lawsuit of its kind, Trunnell is attempting to hold a corporation "responsible for the inadvertent creation of an infectious disease."Time: H1N1 Virus: The First Legal Action (May 14, 2009)

On May 18, 2009, Steven Trunnell, along with his four-year-old daughter, infant daughter and his attorney, appeared on Larry King Live via satellite to discuss the death of his wife, Judy Trunnell.Science: Texan Alleges Mexican Pig Farm May Be Liable (May 14, 2009)

Trunnell disputed reports that his wife had been ill prior to contracting swine flu, "That's absolutely false...she was a healthy, pregnant woman eight months pregnant until she contracted the virus." Trunnell told Larry King, "She became acutely ill but never diagnosed with any major medical complications of any kind."Valley Central: Steven Trunnell Talks About Wife's Swine Flu Death (May 19, 2009)

Judy Trunnell was a 33-year-old Texas pregnant school teacher when she fell ill with the H1N1 Virus, commonly referred to as swine flu. Trunnell was eight months pregnant when she was admitted into a local hospital on April 19, 2009. After she slipped into a coma, her daughter was delivered by Cesarean section. Her daughter was healthy but Trunnell died on May 5, 2009.Science: Texan Alleges Mexican Pig Farm May Be Liable (May 14, 2009)

Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, Smithfield Foods is one of the largest meat producers and processors in the world, operating in approximately 20 U.S. states and nine countries.

Smithfield Foods owns 50% of Granjas Carroll de Mexico, a large Mexican hog operation that is allegedly the cause of the H1NI (swine flu) outbreak. Edgar Hernandez Hernandez, a little boy who lived in La Gloria, a town close to the pig farm, was one of the first confirmed cases of swine flu.

A petition filed by Steven Trunnell states, "it is likely that the creation and spread of this lethal strain of swine flu may have been caused, in part, by historically unsanitary conditions which Smithfield Foods knowingly caused to occur in Mexico in connection with the operation of the largest pig farm business in the world." The petition continues with allegations, "it is reasonable to expect that this area around La Gloria is ground zero for the H1N1-2009 swine influenza virus."Science: Texan Alleges Mexican Pig Farm May Be Liable (May 14, 2009)