Ron Simon files nation’s first Cyclospora Lawsuit against McDonald’s following massive outbreak of Cyclospora. The outbreak has led to a major recall by McDonald’s of salads sold at about 3000 of its locations. The full extent of the outbreak remains unknown, as well as whether cross contamination, or failure in its HACCP or GMPs, caused the contamination. The lawsuit is on behalf of Jennifer Smith, whose case was featured on NBC Nightly News by Lester Holt on July 13th. It has been filed in Cook County, where McDonald’s is headquartered. Jennifer Smith was sickened after eating numerous salads from her McDonald’s in Washington, Illinois.
According to the CDC, McDonald’s salads are the likely source of 61 illnesses in 7 states – Illinois and Iowa Health agencies have bigger numbers!
A multi-state outbreak of illnesses related to Cyclospora has been linked to salads at McDonald’s restaurants by officials in Illinois, Iowa, and by federal officials with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State, federal, and local officials are working together to investigate multiple cases of illnesses across seven states – and while the states are looking at larger numbers of Cyclospora illnesses, the CDC can already confirm that at least 61 people have become sick with laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Two hospitalizations have been reported.
Overwhelmingly, the food poisoning victims stated that they had consumed salad products from McDonald’s restaurants prior to becoming ill.
The FDA is investigating to determine the exact source of the contamination. There are multiple ingredients in the McDonald’s salads and the contamination may have occurred at any point during the distribution and supply of those ingredients.
McDonald’s has voluntarily stopped serving salads at restaurants in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Missouri while the investigation continues. The company also plans to switch to a different supplier for its salads.
Most people infected with Cyclospora develop diarrhea, with frequent, sometimes explosive, bowel movements. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. Vomiting, body aches, headache, fever, and other flu-like symptoms may be noted. Some people who are infected with Cyclospora do not have any symptoms. If not treated, the illness may last from a few days to a month or longer.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after eating a salad at McDonald’s, please contact the food poisoning lawyers at 1-888-335-4901 to learn more about your legal options.
