MISSOURI, USA — Two St. Louis-area law firms said Wednesday they have uncovered the source of a massive E. coli outbreak.
Taylor Farms California, located in Salinas, California, was allegedly the source of the outbreak, according to amended lawsuits on Wednesday filed by Simon Law Firm and Lange Law Firm. The outbreak has sickened 115 people in Missouri, including 13 hospitalizations, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health said.
"This makes the Lange Law Firm and Simon Law the first-to-file against the supplier in these cases and we are now representing multiple victims affected by this outbreak, including some who have been hospitalized with HUS," an email from Simon Law said. A Simon Law Firm representative said they wouldn't reveal how the source of the outbreak was determined.
The St. Louis County Department of Public Health, the original investigators of the outbreak, said they have not confirmed the outbreak's source as of Wednesday afternoon.
Taylor Farms has not responded to a request for comment. The agriculture company also recently recalled onions linked to a separate E. coli outbreak involving McDonald's Quarter Pounders.
County health officials, through genetic testing, confirmed 25 of the cases were linked directly to Andre's Banquets and Catering in St. Louis. Additional cases matching the genetic profiles were reported in several other states, including Kansas, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Indiana.
The department previously said genetic data and food histories suggested "leafy greens" were an exposure factor and "consistently emerged as a key factor" across all states.
"This has really wrecked people's lives," Jory Lange of Lange Law Firm said previously. "Some people have had acute kidney failure, HUS, which E. coli can cause, can lead to lifelong complications and problems. It's really a big deal and it's important for people to know that they're entitled to compensation for what they've gone through."