Law firms filed at least three lawsuits against Taco Bell in state and federal courts following a cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 1,600 people fell ill after eating at Taco Bell locations across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. While Taco Bell was named in the initial litigation, the CDC noted that thousands of additional cases reported in other states may be unrelated to the restaurant chain.
The lawsuits utilize "strict liability" claims, which under many state laws allow consumers to seek damages if food is found to be defective or unreasonably dangerous, regardless of whether the restaurant acted with negligence. Specifically, a lawsuit filed in Ohio federal court by attorney Bill Marler naming Taco Bell and its suppliers seeks compensation for medical bills and lost wages. Taco Bell stated it has removed potentially affected lettuce from several states as a precaution, though the company declined to comment on the specific litigation.
Investigators from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are looking for the source of the parasite. While a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce from supplier Taylor Farms initially tested positive, the FDA later retracted the finding as a false positive. Taylor Farms stated that no positive product tests for cyclospora have been confirmed at this time, though the company has proactively removed iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the market. Because cyclospora is a parasite that cannot be grown in labs, the CDC noted that tracing such outbreaks often depends on patient interviews and supply chain records rather than genetic sequencing.