Key Takeaways
- Pennsylvania resident Joshua Cox sued Taylor Farms for at least $75,000, alleging its shredded lettuce gave him cyclosporiasis after three meals at the same Taco Bell.
- Cox says he endured weeks of diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss, visited two emergency rooms, and tested positive for Cyclospora before receiving antibiotics.
- The lawsuit follows a nationwide outbreak approaching 20,000 reported illnesses, with most cases traced to Taylor Farms bagged lettuce supplied to stores and Taco Bell restaurants.
A Taco Bell customer's three trips to the fast-food chain allegedly ended with weeks of illness, two visits to emergency rooms, and a positive test for a parasite known for causing "explosive" diarrhea.
According to USA Today, Joshua Cox of Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, is suing lettuce supplier Taylor Farms for at least $75,000, claiming he contracted cyclosporiasis after eating shredded lettuce supplied by the California-based company at a Taco Bell near Erie. The lawsuit was filed Sept. 23 in U.S. District Court in Erie. Taco Bell is not named as a defendant.
According to the complaint, Cox ate at the same Peach Street Taco Bell on June 25, June 29, and July 6. His orders included everything from a Chicken Chalupa Supreme and soft tacos to a Cheesy Gordita Crunch and bean burrito. The lawsuit alleges the common ingredient across the meals was shredded lettuce.
Cox began feeling sick around July 7, one day after his third visit. He allegedly experienced diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss before seeking treatment at LECOM Medical Center. His symptoms continued for weeks, eventually sending him to another emergency department at AHN Saint Vincent on Aug. 4.
Cox visited his primary-care doctor the following day and submitted a stool sample, which tested positive for Cyclospora.
He was subsequently treated with the antibiotic Bactrim, according to his attorney. Cox is seeking compensation for medical expenses, missed work, pain and suffering.
"We believe Taylor Farms is strictly liable for the harm they caused," attorney Brian Ernst of food-safety law firm Marler Clark said.
And Cox's case isn't the only one headed to court.
"We have 10 or so lawsuits filed on this subject and many more that we are prepared to file," Ernst said.
The lawsuit puts a specific Taco Bell customer at the center of a food-safety crisis that looked considerably different when it first emerged over the summer. Some Taco Bell restaurants began pulling lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and cilantro-onion blends as health officials investigated a surge in cyclosporiasis. At the time, officials had not yet pinpointed a source.
The outbreak has since ballooned to nearly 20,000 reported illnesses nationwide. Erie County alone has recorded at least 242 cases, and county health officials have said approximately 70 percent of confirmed patients reported eating at Taco Bell.
Most cases nationwide have been traced to bagged lettuce from Taylor Farms that was sold in stores and supplied to Taco Bell restaurants.
Taylor Farms issued a recall on July 17—11 days after Cox's final Taco Bell visit.
"When questions were raised about the source of the recent Cyclospora outbreak, we immediately removed all potentially implicated product from the marketplace," Taylor Farms previously said. The company also expanded its recall to include all iceberg lettuce sourced from the affected region.
Taylor Farms declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.
