Children of elderly couple sue Bob Evans, claim meatloaf killed their parents

Mark and Ann Starcher claim that tainted meatloaf from Bob Evans is to blame for the deaths of their parents, Virginia and Harold Starcher.

The lawsuit alleges that after eating meatloaf at the restaurant, the West Virginia couple became "violently ill" and went to the emergency room. Harold Starcher suffered from a stroke, and both parents later died in hospice care just months apart.

According to the lawsuit, Jackson General hospital told the couple that the "tainted meal from Bob Evans" had given them food poisoning. They fell ill roughly nine hours after dining at the restaurant.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

The restaurant, meanwhile, says there is "no basis to the allegations," and the suit is "entirely without merit." Mark and Ann Starcher are seeking $250,000 in medical expenses, as well as an additional, unspecified amount of money for their "pain, suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, and the loss of ability to enjoy life." A federal court in West Virginia will hear the case early next year.