--- title: Marler Clark Files First Federal Lawsuit in Graziers Raw Milk Cheese E. coli Outbreak date: 2026-10-06T14:49:00-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/marler-clark-files-first-federal-lawsuit-in-graziers-raw-milk-cheese-e-coli-outbreak" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Press Releases](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/press-releases) / # Marler Clark Files First Federal Lawsuit in Graziers Raw Milk Cheese E. coli Outbreak GRAND RAPIDS, MI: Marler Clark, the food safety law firm, today filed the first federal lawsuit arising from the multistate *E. coli* O26:H11 outbreak linked to Graziers raw milk cheese made by Sierra Nevada Cheese Company of Willows, California. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan (Case No. 1:26-cv-02867). Ryan and Maisie Tennant of Charlotte, Michigan, brought it on behalf of their 18-month-old daughter, R.T. The complaint says the family bought two five-pound loaves of Graziers raw medium cheddar through Azure Standard in June. R.T. ate the cheese in late July and early August. She developed diarrhea on August 3, and it turned bloody as her condition worsened. On August 9 she was taken to an emergency department. She was transferred by ambulance to a pediatric intensive care unit, where she tested positive for Shiga toxin-producing *E. coli* and was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). R.T.’s kidneys stopped working. She needed continuous dialysis, which required sedation and a ventilator for several days, as well as blood transfusions. She was in the hospital for about 19 days at two children’s hospitals. Since going home, she still has elevated kidney markers, high blood pressure that requires medication, and protein in her urine. She will need ongoing monitoring of her kidney function. On September 25, the CDC announced that it was investigating 13 illnesses in nine states linked to Graziers raw milk cheese. Eight people were hospitalized and three developed HUS. Sick people had a median age of five, and more than half were children five or younger. Every sick person interviewed reported eating Graziers raw milk cheese. On September 28, Sierra Nevada recalled all Graziers Raw Milk Cheese on the market, including Monterey Jack, Jalapeño Jack, Medium Cheddar, and Sharp Cheddar. “An 18-month-old child went into kidney failure from a piece of cheese, and nothing on that label told her parents the milk was never pasteurized,” said William Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. “We have seen this before, with Twin Sisters, with Vulto, with Bravo Farms. The children pay the price.” **Petition for a Raw Milk Cheese Warning Label** Marler is also finishing a citizen petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under 21 CFR 10.30. The petition asks the agency to require a prescribed warning statement on all cheese made from unpasteurized milk. The proposed warning is modeled on the one FDA has required on unpasteurized juice since 1998. It would appear on packaged cheese, on point-of-sale signs for cheese cut to order, and on product pages for online sales. Both domestic and imported cheese would be covered. The petition also asks FDA to finish its reevaluation of the 60-day aging rule for raw milk cheese, which the agency announced in 2013 and has never completed. It further asks FDA to publish the raw milk cheese sampling results it already collects. The Graziers cheese that sickened R.T. was labeled as aged at least 60 days, the federal standard that is supposed to make raw milk cheese safe. “This petition does not ask FDA to ban raw milk cheese,” Marler said. “It asks for one sentence on the label. Adults can still buy it, but they should know what they are buying, especially when they are feeding it to their kids.” The public can comment on the draft petition through October 15, 2026, and Marler plans to file it with FDA shortly afterward. **About Marler Clark** Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, has represented victims of foodborne illness outbreaks since 1993, including children who developed HUS after eating unpasteurized dairy products. **Contact:** William D. 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