SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle lawyer Bill Marler filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday for people who became sick after eating peanut butter contaminated with salmonella.

The firm Marler Clark that specializes in food illness cases has been contacted by almost 3,000 people in 40 states, and several foreign countries. That includes one family in Colombia, which took a case of possibly-contaminated peanut butter with them after a visit to the United States. In another case, one of the people is a soldier in Iraq who got peanut butter in a care package from home.

The number also includes more than a dozen people in Western Washington and two from Seattle.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for people who became sick, but were not hospitalized. Marler says the more-serious cases will be handled separately. He told KOMO 4 News he has heard of several people who are hospitalized for up to 12 days and his office is investigating the possibility of four fatalities.

Marler says his office has employed an epidemiologist to check each of the reported illnesses. He says no one who is "fakin' or mistaken" will be in the lawsuit.

The recalled peanut butter was made by ConAgra and sold under the Peter Pan and Great Value labels. It has a product code on the lid beginning with 2111.

ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs in Omaha says she's not yet aware of the lawsuit, but ConAgra says it takes consumer concerns seriously. That's why it recalled the peanut butter.