Michigan Couple Sues Taco Bell and Taylor Farms Over Cyclospora Outbreak

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, details a harrowing three-week ordeal following a June 21 lunch at the Gratiot Avenue Taco Bell. Both plaintiffs required urgent medical intervention and antibiotic treatment after consuming the lettuce, which the suit alleges originated from Taylor Farms' central Mexico operations. The filing asserts claims of product liability and negligence, targeting both the restaurant chain and the produce processor for systemic failures in food safety.

This legal action arrives as federal health officials grapple with a surge in cyclosporiasis cases. The CDC reported over 1,600 confirmed infections since May, with thousands more under analysis—a sharp increase from the 249 cases documented during the same period in 2025. Attorney William Marler, representing the couple, criticized the delay in implementing mandatory traceability rules for leafy greens, noting that the current outbreak could have been managed more efficiently had federal regulations not been pushed back to 2028. While Taylor Farms has since issued a recall for the implicated lettuce, the Herculas seek damages for the weeks of illness and the ongoing recovery process caused by the parasite.