First Lawsuit Filed in Wendy's E. Coli Outbreak

Days after Wendy's removed romaine lettuce from its sandwiches in four states due to an E. coli outbreak, the first lawsuit has been filed by someone who allegedly fell sick because of the outbreak. According to a lawsuit filed by Ron Simon & Associates, one Wendy's-goer says they were hospitalized after eating a Baconator from the chain.

"The victims all appear to have eaten sandwiches at Wendy's, each containing Romaine lettuce," food poisoning attorney Ron Simon said in a press release. "As such, Wendy's has removed Romaine lettuce from its sandwiches in that region. Although there are 37 confirmed cases now, we expect that number to grow as more victims are identified."

Simon filed the lawsuit on behalf of Vanessa Camarillo, who says she began experiencing "severe abomdinal pain, nauea, and bloody diarrhea" after consuming the sandwich. She sought medical help on July 29th and was hospitalized due to her symptoms.

Earlier this month, Wendy's locations in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania preventatively removed the romaine lettuce used in its sandwich after the CDC launched an investigation into a possible outbreak. Upwards of 37 people have exhibited symptons of salmonella and E. coli poisoning after eating at the chain.

"We are fully cooperating with public health authorities on their ongoing investigation of the regional E. coli outbreak reported in certain midwestern states," Wendy's said in a statement at the time. "While the CDC has not yet confirmed a specific food as the source of that outbreak, we are taking the precaution of removing the sandwich lettuce from restaurants in that region. The lettuce that we use in our salads is different, and is not affected by this action. As a company, we are committed to upholding our high standards of food safety and quality."

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