Last year, when the poisoned pet-food scandal broke,  thousands of Canadian and U.S. pet owners were affected. Dogs and cats died as a result of eating pet food contaminated with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, that was added to wheat gluten imported from China.

In March 2007, the companies that made or sold the contaminated pet food agreed to settle lawsuits with pet owners. In April, lawyers representing the plaintiffs and dozens of companies announced they had agreed a deal for pet owners in the U.S and Canada. By September 30, 2007,  over 9,500 people in the U.S and Canada had made claims, while just over 100 people had opted to preserve their rights to sue independantly. Objections to the settlement were filed by only 28 people.

Today a story from the Associated Press, carried by cbcnews.ca gives the latest details on the case, saying that affected pet owners may be close to receiving a $32-million US settlement. Click on the cbcnews.ca for further details and comment.

Were you  affected by this avoidable and tragic story? If so we would like to hear from you, your story from a personal and legal perspective. Your blog or story coul help others come to terms with their loss or tackle the legal aftermath.