Marler Clark filed what it called the first lawsuit tied to the Taco Bell Cyclospora outbreak, representing Ohio resident Mohammed R. Ayyad in U.S. District Court against Pacific Bells, LLC.
Ayyad says he ate at a North Olmsted Taco Bell on June 14 and 21, fell ill by June 23, sought care on July 3, submitted a stool sample on July 6 and tested positive on July 9.
Michigan health officials reported more than 5,000 cases on July 17, while the CDC and FDA traced the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell locations in five states by a single Mexican supplier.
A source familiar with the investigation identified the supplier as Taylor Farms; the company said Taylor Farms de Mexico is pulling all central Mexico-sourced iceberg lettuce from the U.S. market indefinitely.
Investigators are still examining whether the implicated lettuce reached outlets beyond Taco Bell, and officials say not all outbreak cases have been linked to the chain.