McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burger
The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead


What happened
McDonald's was sued Thursday by a Colorado customer who became ill with E. coli after eating at the fast food chain, the first such lawsuit stemming from an outbreak that has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead. The E. coli was linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, and U.S. health officials said this week that slivered onions on the burger were the "likely source of contamination."
Who said what
Eric Stelly, the first plaintiff, experienced "gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramps, nausea, and dehydration, as well as bloody stools" after eating at his local McDonald's on Oct. 4, according to his lawyer. His claim was the "first of what is expected to be multiple lawsuits over the E. coli outbreak," Fox Business said. Most of the reported illnesses have been in Colorado and Nebraska. A Nebraska woman, Clarissa DeBock, filed a second E. coli lawsuit against McDonald's, represented by the same lawyer.
McDonald's said Thursday that onions from Taylor Farms Colorado had been pulled from restaurants in the Mountain West, where sales of Quarter Pounders have also been halted. The Food and Drug Administration said Taylor Farms was the source of the potentially contaminated onions. Other fast food chains "were pulling fresh onions out of their menu items" on Thursday, including Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, Reuters said. Major food distributors Sysco and U.S. Food also notified customers of the onion recall.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Stelly is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. Health officials and McDonald's have "not ruled out possible contamination of the quarter-pound beef patties used for the burger, a popular menu item," The New York Times said. But experts said while beef often used to be the culprit in E. coli outbreaks, safety changes following several high-profile outbreaks have made beef less likely to be the source.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Schools: The return of a dreaded fitness test
Feature Donald Trump is bringing the Presidential Fitness Test back to classrooms nationwide
-
An insatiable hunger for protein
Feature Americans can't get enough of the macronutrient. But how much do we really need?
-
Health: Will medical science survive RFK Jr.?
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scrapped $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts
-
An insatiable hunger for protein
Feature Americans can't get enough of the macronutrient. But how much do we really need?
-
How China is battling the chikungunya virus
Under The Radar Thousands of cases of the debilitating disease have been found in the country
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agency
Speed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Forever chemicals were found in reusable menstrual products. That is nothing new for women.
Under the Radar Toxic chemicals are all too common in such products
-
Why the FDA wants to restrict kratom-related products
In the Spotlight The compound is currently sold across the United States
-
Food may contribute more to obesity than exercise
Under the radar The devil's in the diet
-
Babies born using 3 people's DNA lack hereditary disease
Under the Radar The method could eliminate mutations for future generations
-
Not just a number: how aging rates vary by country
The explainer Inequality is a key factor