--- title: "McDonald's Franchise Faces Claims from Hepatitis A Victims" date: 1999-12-21T00:21:00-08:00 author: admin canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/mcdonalds-franchise-faces-claims-from-hepatitis-a-victims" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Press Releases](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/press-releases) / # McDonald's Franchise Faces Claims from Hepatitis A Victims SEATTLE, WA - Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm with a long track record of successful lawsuits against food companies, filed a lawsuit today against McDonald’s in Skagit County Superior Court on behalf a woman who was sickened along with several other people with Hepatitis A from eating at the McDonalds restaurant on Riverside Drive in Mount Vernon, Washington. During the week of February 16, 1998, this woman frequently ate breakfast at McDonalds as she was taking care of her dying mother, as the restaurant was located on the way to the nursing home. The restaurant was identified by the Skagit County Health Department as the source of a hepatitis A outbreak. She incurred $35,000 in medical expenses - none of which were aid by McDonalds. According to William Marler, attorney for lady “contamination of food by infected workers in restaurants is one of the most common sources of outbreaks like this one. Hepatitis A infections are completely preventable through hand washing with soap and running warm water after using the toilet and before preparing food. The thought is not pleasant but most Hepatitis A infections are the result of eating or drinking something contaminated by the feces of an infected person.” Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that is caused by the Hepatitis A virus. The virus is most commonly spread through contact with human stool. Symptoms include nausea, cramping, fatigue and fever. In young children these symptoms can appear flu-like, but in some cases do not appear at all. Symptoms most often begin two to six weeks after exposure and can last up to two weeks. These can include a lack of energy, diarrhea, fever, nausea, abdominal discomfort and jaundice (yellow color to the whites of the eyes or skin and darkening of urine). Young children may have mild symptoms or none at all, but are still contagious. In adults, the infection usually causes severe illness that can last several months. \### Marler Clark has been involved in hundreds of cases involving food-borne illness. These have included the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak; the 1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak; the 1998 Malt-O-Meal Salmonella outbreak; the 1998 Finley School District E. coli outbreak in the Tri-cities, Washington; the 1999 Golden Corral E. coli outbreak in Kearney, Nebraska; the 1999 Sun Orchard Orange Juice Salmonella outbreak in several western states; and, the 1999 Subway Hepatitis A outbreak in King County. More about the [McDonald's hepatitis A outbreak](http://www.marlerclark.com/case_news/view/mcdonalds-hepatitis-a-outbreak-washington "McDonald's hepatitis A outbreak") can be found in the Case News area of this site. ### Other Hepatitis A Lawsuits [Washington and California Hepatitis A Outbreak linked to Imported Strawberries](https://marlerclark.com/washington-hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-imported-strawberries) [Hepatitis A outbreak - Strawberries sicken 27 in Canada and United States](https://marlerclark.com/hepatitis-a-outbreak-strawberries-sicken-27-in-canada-and-united-states) [Gino's Ristorante & Pizzeria linked to Hepatitis A Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/ginos-ristorante-pizzeria-linked-to-hepatitis-a-outbreak) [Famous Anthony's Hepatitis A Outbreak; 52 sick, 36 hospitalized and 4 deaths](https://marlerclark.com/hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-roanoke-famous-anthonys-restaurants) [Los Angelos Hepatitis A Outbreak linked to 555 East American 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Hepatitis A Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/about-hepatitis) An Introduction to Hepatitis A Viral hepatitis is a major global public health problem affecting hundreds of millions of people and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Five biologically... ###### [The Incidence of Hepatitis A Infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/how-common-is-hepatitis-a-infection) How common is Hepatitis A infection? Hepatitis A incidence varies between regions and is much more common in countries with underdeveloped sanitation systems; thus, contracting hepatitis A is a risk... ###### [Transmission of Hepatitis A](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/how-does-hepatitis-a-spread) How does Hepatitis A spread? Hepatitis A is a communicable (or contagious) disease that is acquired primarily by the fecal oral route either from person to person or through contaminated... ###### [Symptoms of Hepatitis A Infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/hepatitis-symptoms-risks) What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A infection? Hepatitis A may cause no symptoms at all when it is contracted, especially in children. Asymptomatic individuals may only know they were... ###### [Complications of Hepatitis A Infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/hepatitis-complications) Fulminant hepatitis A, or acute liver failure, can be a complication of hepatitis A infection. Fulminant hepatitis A is a rare but devastating complication of HAV infection. As many as... ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)