A Minnesota woman who was hospitalized with sepsis after eating a Chipotle burrito bowl is suing the restaurant chain, alleging contaminated jalapeño peppers caused her salmonella infection, as part of a multistate outbreak that has sickened at least 345 people.
Kristen Behne ate a chicken burrito bowl at a Chipotle restaurant in Roseville, Minnesota, on June 24, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. Three days later, she developed a fever, chills, vomiting and severe diarrhea before losing consciousness, the lawsuit says.
Behne was hospitalized June 28 after developing sepsis, a potentially life-threatening response to an infection, according to the complaint. She was discharged June 30.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, Aug. 4, seeks more than $75,000 in compensatory damages. It says genetic testing showed Behne’s salmonella infection matched the strain involved in the broader outbreak. The Minnesota Department of Health classified her illness as outbreak-associated on July 1, according to the complaint.
What happened to the Minnesota woman?
Behne’s attorneys say she has not fully recovered from the salmonella infection and septic episode and remains at increased risk for complications, including reactive arthritis and post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome.
“Ms. Behne did nothing wrong,” the lawsuit says, arguing that salmonella is invisible, odorless and tasteless and that customers must rely on restaurants to serve safe food.
Her attorney, Ryan Osterholm, told CBS News that other people have reported similar experiences and that he expects the number of cases connected to the outbreak to increase as the investigation continues. USA TODAY reached out to Osterholm for additional comment.
What caused the salmonella outbreak?
The CDC said Aug. 5 that at least 345 people in 27 states had been infected with the outbreak strain of salmonella. Thirty-six people had been hospitalized. No deaths had been reported.
Federal health officials linked the outbreak to jalapeño peppers supplied by a common grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed in the United States by Coast Citrus Distributors. The peppers were primarily distributed to restaurants and wholesalers.
The affected states include Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, Michigan and Wisconsin, among others. The FDA said its investigation remains ongoing and that it is examining whether recalled peppers were distributed to grocery stores.
What did Chipotle say?
Chipotle removed the affected jalapeños from its restaurants after being notified about the outbreak and replaced them with peppers from different growers. Qdoba also stopped serving the affected peppers.
The CDC said the two restaurant chains are not considered an ongoing risk to consumers because they removed the affected product from their stores.
A Chipotle press release noted that the company has a “robust ingredient traceability system” and identified jalapeños from the affected grower and lot before proactively removing them.
“The health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority,” Chipotle said.
What are salmonella symptoms?
Salmonella commonly causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Symptoms typically begin 12 to 72 hours after exposure. Most people recover without treatment, but some infections can become severe and require hospitalization, according to the CDC.
Contributing: USA TODAY reporter Natalie Neysa Alund
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT.