Islamabad, Oct 26: A Colorado man has filed what appears to be the first lawsuit against McDonald’s over an E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder burgers that has killed one person and sickened nearly 50 others.
According to the case, which was submitted on Wednesday to the Circuit Court in Cook County, Illinois, Eric Stelly consumed food from a McDonald’s in Greeley, Colorado, on October 4 and a few days later tested positive for E. coli.
According to the lawsuit, Stelly was later informed by Colorado health officials that his E. coli was linked to the McDonald’s outbreak. Stelly, who resides in Greeley, filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s in Chicago, the location of the business.
McDonald’s is accused of handling and caring for the food carelessly in the complaint, which is seeking damages exceeding $50,000. Following news of the lawsuit, shares reduced gains and ended the day up 0.5%.
Representatives of McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger on Wednesday said the fast-food chain needs to rebuild trust with the public after it pulled the item off its menu at a fifth of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants.
The outbreak has sickened people across the U.S. West and Midwest, with one dead and 10 hospitalized due to serious complications, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ron Simon, an attorney representing Stelly, said he is representing another 15 people who were impacted by the outbreak.
In an effort to identify the source of the outbreak, McDonald’s and the CDC are closely examining the firm’s supplies of beef patties and sliced onions, the company said.
Although one of its state partners is testing beef samples for E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated late Wednesday that the onions used were the most likely cause of the sickness.
The McDonald’s outbreak was caused by the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 that was implicated in a 1993 Jack in the Box event that claimed the lives of four children.
According to corporate representatives, McDonald’s suppliers tested their products regularly during the CDC-provided epidemic period, and none of them detected this type of E. coli.
