McDonald’s hit with lawsuit after deadly E. coli outbreak
Global News
Following an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's, the fast-food giant faces its first lawsuit related to the incident, alleging negligence in food safety practices.
Following an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders in the United States, the fast-food giant faces its first lawsuit related to the incident, alleging negligence in food safety practices.
On Wednesday, the Texas-based food safety law firm Ron Simon and Associates announced the filing of the first McDonald’s E. coli lawsuit on behalf of Colorado resident Eric Stelly. The lawsuit was filed in Cook County, Ill.
The lawsuit comes days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers has killed one person and sickened nearly 50 others, across 10 states.
The CDC on Wednesday also said the actual number of impacted individuals is likely much higher, and it expects to see more cases.
The initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder, McDonald’s said in a Tuesday statement.
McDonald’s pulled the Quarter Pounder from its menu at McDonald’s locations in Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, and in parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
The lawsuit alleges that on Oct. 4, Stelly purchased and ate food from a McDonald’s in Breely, Colo. Two days later, he began experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramps, nausea and dehydration, as well as bloody stools, it stated.
E. coli infections are caused by E. coli bacteria, which can be spread through contact with infected people, animals or contaminated surfaces, foods or liquids, according to Health Canada. The bacteria can produce toxins that cause symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and, in severe cases, kidney failure.
