Another Outbreak Prompts Norovirus Lawsuits Against Chipotle

Two consumers have filed lawsuits alleging they contracted
norovirus after eating at one of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s locations.
Hogan v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, No. 109599 (Va. Cir. Ct.,
Loudoun Cty., filed July 26, 2017); Moore v. Chipotle Mexican
Grill, No. 109660 (Va. Cir. Ct., Loudoun Cty., filed July 26, 2017).
Both complaints allege negligence and breach of implied
warranties, and each plaintiff seeks $74,000 in damages and
attorney’s fees. The Loudoun County Health Department has
identified more than 135 people who became ill after eating at
Chipotle’s Sterling, Virginia, restaurant between July 13-16, 2017,
and confirmed that two people tested positive for the same strain
of norovirus.

On July 19, federal prosecutors served Chipotle with a new
subpoena seeking details about the outbreak. In 2015, the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California began a
criminal investigation into a series of norovirus, E. coli and
Salmonella outbreaks traced to Chipotle locations in several
states. Additional details about the previous outbreaks appear in
Issues 589, 593, 617 and 637 of this Update.

According to Reuters, Chipotle said it identified a sick employee
as the cause of the Virginia outbreak. Chipotle representatives
reportedly said they will now be enforcing a “zero tolerance”
policy for employees who fail to follow food-safety protocols. See
Reuters, July 27, 2017.

Issue 642