Suit settled over E. coli death of girl

MILWAUKEE, June 15 (UPI) -- A meatpacker and other companies have agreed to pay $13.5 million to the family of a 3-year-old Wisconsin girl who died from an E. coli infection.

The settlement between Brianna Kriefall's family and Excel Corp., a subsidiary of Cargill Inc., does not end the litigation over her death and the E. coli outbreak, The Milwaukee Journal reported. Brianna apparently picked up the infection almost eight years ago after eating at a Sizzler restaurant with her family.

Sizzler Inc. and the company that operated two Sizzler franchises in the Milwaukee area are suing Excel. The case is scheduled to go to trial this summer.

In 2004, a judge dismissed the claims against Excel, ruling that the company was exempt from litigation because it followed federal standards in meat handling. An appeals court overruled the decision.