Ron Simon & Associates Files First McDonald's Cyclospora Lawsuit

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Jul 16, 2018, 11:37 ET

CHICAGO, July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the national food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates, along with local counsel Meyers & Flowers, filed the first lawsuit stemming from cyclospora-contaminated salads sold in Illinois and neighboring states. The products were sold at 3000 McDonald's retail outlets across the Midwest.

A copy of the lawsuit is available upon request.

The lawsuit was filed against McDonald's Corporation in Cook County, Illinois on behalf of Jennifer Smith, who regularly consumed salads sold at McDonald's as part of an attempt to live a healthy diet. She ate salads from the McDonald's in Washington, Illinois numerous times in May and June of 2018.

By early June Jennifer began to experience vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, headaches, gas, bloating and fatigue. Jennifer tried to ride out the illness but as it worsened, she was forced to seek medical attention. Unfortunately, for more than a month, her physicians were unable to trace the etiology of her illness. It was not until the outbreak of Cyclospora became public that her physicians were able to determine what had made her ill.

Jennifer Smith has since interviewed with he Illinois Department of Public Health, and her story was featured prominently on the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt on July 13, 2018.

McDonald's Stops Selling Salads Due to Cyclospora Contamination

On July 12, 2018, health officials from Iowa and Illinois, in concert with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), concluded that an increase in cyclospora infections in those states were strongly associated with consumption of McDonald's salads sold in those states.

The next day, McDonald's announced a voluntarily cessation of the sale of salads at impacted restaurants until it could procure a new lettuce blend supplier. McDonald's, in a newsroom bulletin to the public, stated: "We are in the process of removing existing lettuce blend from identified restaurants and distribution centers – which includes approximately 3,000 of our U.S. restaurants primarily located in the Midwest. Of the 3,000 restaurants, at least one is located in the following states: IL, IA, IN, WI, MI, OH, MN, NE, SD, MT, ND, KY, WV, and MO.

As of the filing of this suit, the CDC reports confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in 61 people in 7 states with 2 hospitalizations and no deaths. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the number is much higher. The IDPH reports receiving about 90 cases of cyclosporiasis in counties across Illinois with people becoming ill starting in mid-May. Iowa has reported a similar increase in cyclospora cases.

Attorney Ron Simon Issues Statement and Establishes Cyclospora Claim Center

Lead attorney Ron Simon, who represents Jennifer Smith and other victims of the outbreak, issued the following statement today: "Nobody expects to be infected by a parasite when eating salad from McDonald's. But that is exactly what happened here. In this litigation, we will determine how this contamination occurred and prevent it from happening again."

Mr. Simon and his law firm have established a Cyclospora Claim Center to assist victims in the outbreak. The Cyclospora Claim Center can be reached toll-free at 1-888-335-4901 or online at http://mcdonalds.ronsimonassociates.com.

About Ron Simon

Over the last 20 years, Ron Simon and his colleagues have prosecuted thousands of food poisoning cases for victims across the United States. His work has resulted in numerous upgrades to food safety procedures in Fortune 500 companies and in legislation designed to protect consumers from dangerous food-borne pathogens.

Mr. Simon and his clients have been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and virtually all other major television networks and print media. Mr. Simon has collected over $600,000,000 for his clients. He regularly publishes articles about food safety and litigation at www.foodpoisoningnews.com which are read by viewers in over 180 countries.

Through litigation, media commentary, and his food poisoning publications, Mr. Simon relentlessly challenges food manufacturers, distributors, and restaurants to do a better job in making our food safe.

Contact: Anthony Coveny, 1-713-3354-837, Cell, 281-851-9343, [email protected]

SOURCE Ron Simon & Associates