HARMED BY THE BELL

Taco Bell Hit With Lawsuits Over Explosive Diarrhea Outbreak

A fast-spreading parasite has led to thousands of cases—and now some lawsuits.

Fast-food chain Taco Bell has been sued in federal court in at least two states by customers who claim they fell ill after eating lettuce containing cyclosporiasis. Investigators have linked the outbreak of the illness, which is caused by the cyclospora parasite, to Taylor Farms, a Taco Bell supplier in Mexico, according to The Washington Post. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has connected outbreaks to iceberg lettuce sold at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. This week, a Michigan couple sued Taco Bell for negligence and for allegedly violating Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act. Meanwhile, an Ohio woman claims in court that she contracted cyclosporiasis after eating food from Taco Bell three times last month. Both suits named Taylor Farms as a defendant. An Ohio man has also sued, claiming his symptoms left him “unable to function.” Taco Bell did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuits. The company has said it was taking “immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states.” Michigan alone has seen more than 5,000 documented cases of the illness, the state’s health department said.