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Ixtapa E. coli Outbreak Lawsuits

In mid-October of 2008, the Snohomish County Health District (SCHD) Communicable Disease (CD) program became aware of a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 cases among county residents who had dined at Ixtapa restaurant in Lake Stevens before becoming ill.

The investigation by the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) and the SCHD identified 64 cases of E. coli linked to the consumption of food at Ixtapa restaurant. Four cases were hospitalized, and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. The investigation also revealed poor food safety practices on the part of restaurant food workers.

The Marler Clark law firm represented many people who became ill with E. coli infections during the outbreak. The firm filed one lawsuit against Ixtapa on May 4, 2009, and two more lawsuits against the restaurant on November 16, 2009. Two additional lawsuits were filed on November 30, followed by two more on December 9, bringing the total to seven. On January 13, 2010, Marler Clark filed a multi-party lawsuit on behalf of seventeen victims of the outbreak, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to 25. All of those cases have been resolved.

PRESS RELEASE:

E. coli Lawsuits Filed Against Snohomish Eatery

Multi party E. coli lawsuit filed against Extapa restaurant

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