Yes, you can sue a restaurant for E. coli O157 if contaminated food is found at the restaurant or others were also sickened in an outbreak. With a lawsuit, you can seek a money settlement to compensate you for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages. Contact our food safety attorneys about a lawsuit against a restaurant. We are a national food safety law firm: call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), text us at 612-261-0856 or use our free consultation form online.
Our food safety lawyers are currently investigating an outbreak in Minnesota that has been linked to ground beef served on Red Cow and Henhouse restaurant hamburgers.
Contact the Food Safety Attorneys at Pritzker Hageman about a Restaurant Lawsuit for Compensation and Justice
Our E. coli lawyers have experience winning multimillion-dollar recoveries for our clients. A class action lawsuit is not used in these cases. Instead, each person sickened has their own lawsuit and seeks money damages.
Do You Have a Case against a Restaurant for E. coli Poisoning?
You can contact our law firm to talk with an E. coli lawyer and find out if you have a case against a company that owns a restaurant and others. It will not cost you anything, and our law firm is one of the very few in the United States that has handled hundreds of these kinds of cases. Call 1-888-377-8900.
Our lawyers have won millions of dollars, including a recent $4.5 million settlement, for our clients in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against restaurants. In these cases, the owner of the restaurant, a franchisor, a distributor, food processor, and others may all be legally responsible, meaning they can be sued for compensation.
You can get a free E. coli case review by filling out our online consultation form or by calling us at 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free).
Our E. coli Lawyers Can Help Your Family Win a Restaurant Lawsuit
Below are some examples of cases where you and/or your child would have the right to file an E. coli lawsuit seeking compensation from a restaurant (and possibly others):
- Your child is hospitalized with severe symptoms of E. coli and quickly develops hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Stool tests are positive for E. coli O157, and further testing determines that the DNA fingerprint (PFGE) of that bacteria is the same as the DNA fingerprint of O157 bacteria that has sickened 6 other people in your area. The local health department interviews parents and adults who are part of the outbreak and finds that 6 of the 7 people sickened ate at restaurant A. This alone is sufficient evidence to prove that the restaurant is responsible for the outbreak, even if the specific food that caused the illnesses is never determined. You and your child can sue Restaurant A.
- Your wife is hospitalized with an E. coli infection that has caused severe colitis. She has to have a colectomy to remove the damaged part of her colon. 6 days before getting sick, you and your wife ate at Restaurant B, a national chain Mexican restaurant. Your wife is one of 40 people in the U.S. who contracted E. coli infections after eating at the restaurant. Let’s say, that 80% of the people sickened ate tacos, and a traceback investigation determines that the lettuce used for all of these tacos was processed at the same location owned by Processor A. Testing at that location finds E. coli bacteria with the same DNA fingerprint as the bacteria that sickened people in the outbreak. This is “smoking gun” evidence proving that Processor A lettuce caused the illnesses and is the source of the outbreak. In this case you and your wife have the legal right to sue Restaurant B and Processor A.
Food that Has Caused Past Restaurant E. coli Outbreaks
Below are examples of outbreaks caused by different food products. Most of the lawsuits we have won against restaurants involve outbreaks were the food source was not found, meaning we won the cases without knowing what food item caused the illnesses.
The names of the restaurants involved in the outbreaks below are not used because our lawyers won settlements for clients and confidentiality agreements were signed. We have won money for clients sickened in many, many outbreaks. These are just a few of them.
Romaine Lettuce
As of August 22nd, 2022 at least 65 people have contracted Shiga toxin producing E. coli in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. The source of these E. coli infections has been linked to romaine lettuce served at the Wendy’s hamburger chain. Our food safety lawyer are currently investigating cases for multiple people seriously injured from this disease.
Steak
Twenty people contracted E. coli infections after eating steak at a chain restaurant. Those sickened ate at restaurants in the following states: California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington.
Ground Beef
Our lawyers filed suit against a restaurant, a beef processor, and and a distributor on behalf of a woman who contracted an E. coli infection after eating contaminated ground beef that was later recalled by the processor.
Contaminated Water
Dozens of customers contracted E. coli infections after eating at a pizza place. The investigation found that as much as 400,000 gallons of sewage leaked into the ground from a sewer line across the road from the restaurant, contaminating the restaurant’s water. The restaurant reportedly had a shallow well. Shallow wells are more susceptible to E. coli contamination.
Onions
Our attorneys investigated an outbreak sickening over 100 people that was linked to raw slivered onions served on McDonalds Quarter Pounder hamburgers and cheeseburgers in 2024.
E. coli in Restaurant Food Can Cause Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
When a person swallows restaurant food contaminated with E. coli, the bacteria lodges in the gut and produces Shiga toxins, compounds that are poisonous to the human body. If these toxins enter the bloodstream, they destroy blood cells, which can travel to the kidneys. The shredded blood cells can clog tiny tubes in the kidneys, causing kidney (renal) injury, including kidney failure. This complication is called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and it can be fatal.
E. coli Outbreaks Linked to Restaurants
- E. coli Associated with Eating at Cafe Mario at Nintendo of America
- Papa Murphy’s Romain Lettuce E. coli Outbreaks Mount
- Romaine E. coli Outbreak Kills 5, 26 Have HUS Kidney Failure
- Over 20 Suffer Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in Growing Romaine Lettuce E. coli Outbreak (2018)
- Did Restaurants Serve Tainted Lettuce Weeks after E. coli Warning?
- Can I Sue for E. coli from Romaine Lettuce?
- Can I Sue Chipotle for E. coli?
- California Souplantation Ecoli
- Can I Sue a Deli for E. coli Food Poisoning?
- KRM Restaurant Steak E. coli
- Peppas Korean Barbeque E. coli
- You Can Sue Wendys for E. coli Food Poisoning