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Ohio residents sue Taco Bell, say they got cyclospora after eating at restaurants
The lawsuit seeks more than $75,000 and alleges the lettuce was contaminated during a multistate outbreak that sickened 1,644 people, officials said.
On July 17, Preston and Marie Parrish filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District seeking $75,000 in damages from Taco Bell Corp. and Taylor Fresh Foods, alleging they contracted cyclosporiasis after eating contaminated iceberg lettuce.
Michigan serves as the epicenter of a multistate Cyclospora outbreak, with 1,644 confirmed illnesses as of July 16 linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell, according to the FDA and CDC.
Alleging the lettuce was "grossly contaminated with fecal matter containing the Cyclospora parasite," the plaintiffs cite negligence, strict liability, and violations of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act in their complaint.
In response, Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of Mexican-sourced iceberg lettuce while Taco Bell purged the supplier's produce nationwide; however, the FDA reported testing later revealed a false positive for Cyclospora.
Neither Taco Bell nor Taylor Farms had filed formal responses to the complaint as of Tuesday, July 21, and the allegations of negligence and strict liability remain unproven in court.
A group of people sued the Taco Bell food chain on Thursday after having spread the outbreak of diarrhea unleashed in the United States, linked by federal agencies to lettuce served in some of its restaurants.