ST. LOUIS — A Tennessee woman has filed a federal lawsuit against two Taylor Farms companies, alleging she contracted a parasitic infection after eating shredded iceberg lettuce at a Taco Bell restaurant in Hannibal, during a multistate Cyclospora outbreak.
Maleah Morett, a resident of Nashville, filed the complaint Sept. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The lawsuit names Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. and Taylor Farms California Inc. as defendants and seeks damages for injuries and losses that Morett alleges resulted from consuming contaminated lettuce.
According to the complaint, Morett was traveling from her Tennessee home to visit family in Iowa on or about July 2 when she stopped at a Taco Bell restaurant in Hannibal. She purchased and ate a meal consisting of two chicken chalupas, each of which contained the shredded iceberg lettuce that the lawsuit alleges was supplied by the Taylor defendants.
Morett returned to Nashville several days later. On or about July 8, she began experiencing frequent watery diarrhea, stomach cramps and pain, and severe gas, according to the complaint. The lawsuit states that the pain was at times so severe that she could not move and that her symptoms continued for several weeks.
The complaint states that Morett eventually was examined July 28 at Ascension St. Thomas Medical Partners Brentwood clinic, where medical providers ordered a stool sample. Testing reportedly confirmed that she was infected with Cyclospora cayetanensis as well as Clostridioides difficile.
The lawsuit was filed amid a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite.
The complaint cites federal public health updates stating that, as of Aug. 27, 11,458 outbreak-associated illnesses had been reported across 20 states, with at least 495 hospitalizations and two deaths. The investigation remained open at the time of the latest update cited in the complaint.
The complaint says federal and state public health officials traced the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants. According to the filing, the FDA reported July 16 that it and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were investigating a multistate outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations.
At that time, 1,644 people who had reported exposure to Taco Bell had been infected with Cyclospora, including 94 hospitalizations. Ingredient-level analysis found that 90% of interviewed patients reported eating iceberg lettuce, while an FDA traceback investigation converged on a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico.
The complaint states that the FDA identified that supplier on July 17 as Taylor Farms de Mexico, which provided the shredded iceberg lettuce used at Taco Bell locations where people who later became sick had eaten.
That same day, Taylor Farms de Mexico announced it was voluntarily removing iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market, while Taylor Fresh initiated a recall of implicated iceberg lettuce products, including products distributed to foodservice customers, according to the lawsuit.
The outbreak subsequently expanded. The complaint cites a July 24 FDA update reporting illnesses in nine states and 1,947 people infected with Cyclospora who reported exposure to Taco Bell, along with at least 98 hospitalizations.
The FDA also reported that Taylor Fresh had distributed recalled iceberg lettuce products from June 29 through July 16 in 28 states.
By Aug. 5, the complaint states, 6,358 outbreak-associated illnesses had been reported across 15 states, with at least 278 hospitalizations and two deaths in Michigan. On Aug. 13, the reported total had increased to 9,481 illnesses across 17 states, with at least 398 hospitalizations and two deaths.
The complaint says the Aug. 27 update brought the total to 11,458 illnesses in 20 states.
The lawsuit states that Missouri was among the states where outbreak-associated illnesses were reported and among the states to which the recalled Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce was distributed. Tennessee, where Morett lives and where her illness developed, was added to the outbreak in the Aug. 27 update.
Morett alleges that the Taylor defendants grew, processed, packaged, supplied and distributed the lettuce involved in her illness. The complaint brings claims for strict product liability, breach of express and implied warranties, negligence and negligence per se.
In its negligence allegations, the complaint claims the companies failed to adequately maintain or monitor sanitary conditions, implement sufficient agricultural water and sanitation practices, verify food-safety practices among suppliers and growers, test or inspect the lettuce, warn customers about potential Cyclospora contamination and timely remove the contaminated lettuce from commerce.
Morett alleges that her infection caused physical illness, pain and suffering, emotional distress, medical and pharmaceutical expenses, lost wages and income, diminished earning capacity and quality of life, as well as other damages.
The lawsuit asks the court to award compensation for Morett's damages, prejudgment and post-judgment interest where allowed, court costs and attorneys' fees where permitted, and other relief the court considers appropriate. Morett also requested a jury trial. She is represented by Gregory W. Aleshire of Aleshire Robb in Springfield; and William D. Marler of Marler Clark.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Northern Division case number: 2:26-cv-00066
