Hannaford sued over tainted beef

ALFRED, Maine (AP) - A Maine man sickened by a tainted ground beef sold at Hannaford stores is suing the supermarket chain.

Kenneth Koehler, who filed his lawsuit Thursday, bought a 3-pound package of ground beef on Nov. 20, 2011, and suffered from "months of debilitating symptoms."

Hannaford spokesman Eric Blom told the Portland Press Herald that the company doesn't comment on pending litigation.

Koehler, of Old Orchard Beach, was one of more than a dozen people sickened in the salmonella outbreak that led Scarborough-based Hannaford in December 2011 to recall ground beef sold at 181 stores in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.

He told the newspaper he accumulated $8,000 in medical bills.