--- title: First Salmonella lawsuit filed against Chili’s date: 2007-12-27T02:04:57-08:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/first-salmonella-lawsuit-filed-against-chilis-2" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Outbreaks](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/outbreaks) / # First Salmonella lawsuit filed against Chili’s **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***Marler Clark press release* CHICAGO—Marler Clark, the Seattle law firm nationally known for successful representation of foodborne illness victims, today filed a lawsuit on behalf of Jennifer and William Lussow in Federal Court against Chili’s Restaurants and its parent company, Brinker International. The lawsuit arises from the Salmonella outbreak at the Vernon Hills Chili’s in Northern Illinois that sickened over 100 people. The outbreak is believed to be linked to an infected employee working at the restaurant, and the fact that Chili’s violated food safety regulations by continuing to operate despite not having water. “We have been retained by over twenty victims from this outbreak so far,” said Denis Stearns, a partner in Marler Clark. “One client has said that he tried to order water at the restaurant but his server couldn’t serve it to him because the restaurant had no water. How were employees supposed to be practicing proper hand-washing if they didn’t have water? It’s ridiculous.” Stearns added, “It’s appalling that the Lake County health department has taken a ho-hum, slap-on-the-wrist attitude about Chili’s decision to operate without running water. Is the public supposed to be reassured by Chili’s promise to not do it again? What about the ridiculous failure of common-sense that led a restaurant manager to stay open even though none of the employees could wash their hands? Maybe the manager’s bonus was on the line because it was month-end and they needed to hit sales-figures. Who knows? But with the filing of this lawsuit, we are certainly going to find out.” Continue reading [First Salmonella lawsuit filed against Chili’s](http://www.marlerclark.com/news/chilis3.htm "First Salmonella lawsuit filed against Chili’s") on the Marler Clark website. ### Other Salmonella Lawsuits [64 with Salmonella tied to Oysters](https://marlerclark.com/64-with-salmonella-tied-to-oysters) [Vega Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 63](https://marlerclark.com/vega-farms-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-63) [Green Supplement causes Salmonella Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/green-supplement-causes-salmonella-outbreak) [Salmonella Outbreak tied to Metabolic Meals](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-outbreak-tied-to-metabolic-meals) [Kentucky Salmonella outbreak linked to Ramsey’s Diners and Missy’s Pies](https://marlerclark.com/kentucky-salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-ramseys-diners-and-missys-pies) [Salmonella Egg Outbreak sickens 63 in 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