Seattle E. coli lawyers file lawsuit against Taco Bell, onion farm
December 8 2006
PHILADELPHIA, PA – An E. coli lawsuit was filed today on behalf of Stephen Minnis, a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, resident who became ill with an E. coli O157:H7 infection after eating food from the Taco Bell restaurant located on East Philadelphia Avenue in Gilbertsville. The lawsuit was filed against Yum! Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Marler Clark, the Seattle law firm with a national reputation for the successful representation of E. coli victims.
Taco Bell has a history of foodborne illness outbreaks: In 1999, at least ten people became ill with E. coli infections after eating at San Francisco Bay-Area Taco Bell restaurants. In 2000, dozens of people became ill with hepatitis A after eating contaminated green onions at Taco Bell locations in Florida, Kentucky, and Nevada, and in 2003.
“Although E. coli lawsuits serve the dual purpose of compensating victims fairly for their injuries and making those who caused the problem take legal responsibility, what we need is more stringent regulation of the fresh produce industry,” said William Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. “With over 300 people becoming ill with E. coli O157:H7 in the past three months, it’s time growers and processors cleaned up their act and prevented contaminated produce from reaching consumers.”
Marler, who represents 93 victims of the recent E. coli outbreak traced to contaminated spinach, noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 58 confirmed cases associated with the Taco Bell E. coli outbreak, including cases from six states: New York (19), New Jersey (28), Pennsylvania (8), Delaware (1), South Carolina (1), and Utah (1). “We’ve been contacted by over a dozen people who became ill after eating at Taco Bell, and we expect that number to grow,” Marler added.
BACKGROUND: Marler Clark has extensive experience representing victims of foodborne illnesses. Marler represented Brianne Kiner in her $15.6 million settlement with Jack in the Box in 1993. In 1998, Marler Clark resolved Odwalla Juice E. coli outbreak cases for five families whose children developed HUS and were severely injured after consuming contaminated apple juice for a reported $12 million. Since that time, Marler Clark has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness, and has recovered several multi-million dollar settlements for children who developed HUS. The firm also represented over 50 people who became ill with hepatitis A after eating contaminated green onions at a Pennsylvania Chi-Chi’s restaurant in 2003, including one man who received a liver transplant as a result of his hepatitis A infection.
More about the Taco Bell hepatitis A outbreak can be found in the Case News area of this site.