A Taco Bell franchisee has been hit with the first federal lawsuit connected to the 2026 multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak, which health officials have linked to shredded iceberg lettuce.
The lawsuit, filed July 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, names Pacific Bells, LLC as a defendant. The Washington-based company is a Taco Bell franchise operator that allegedly owned and ran the North Olmsted, Ohio, restaurant at the center of the complaint. The filing also lists “John Doe Corporations 1-5” as defendants.
“It’s terrible,” attorney William Marler, who filed the case, told Oxygen. “Even the mildest case is two or three weeks of cramping and explosive diarrhea, which is not pleasant.”
According to the complaint, North Olmsted resident Mohammed R. Ayyad ate at the local Taco Bell three times in June — twice on June 14 and again on June 21. During those visits, he ordered Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes and Avocado Ranch Chicken Stackers.
Two days after his final visit, on June 23, Ayyad allegedly began feeling ill. The lawsuit says he developed a headache, chills, weakness, “persistent diarrhea” and was unable to sleep through the night.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the Cyclospora parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms can include watery diarrhea, weight loss, nausea and fatigue, and they typically appear between two and 14 days after exposure.
The lawsuit says Ayyad went to a Cleveland Clinic urgent care center on July 3, where he was advised to take Imodium.
Three days later, Ayyad submitted a stool sample, which tested positive for cyclosporiasis on July 9, according to the filing. He was prescribed the antibiotic Bactrim, but the lawsuit alleges he has continued to suffer from constant nausea, preventing him from working and causing lost income.
On July 17, Taco Bell announced that it has “completed removal of affected Taylor Farms lettuce from our restaurants. Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide.”
That same day, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated, “Taylor Farms de Mexico announced that they are voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market. Taylor Farms also informed FDA that they would initiate a recall. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
The agency also issued a warning for consumers to avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce imported from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia.
Taylor Farms, a Salinas, California-based company, said in a July 17 Facebook post: “Based on information provided yesterday by the FDA, Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely.”
The company added that no Taylor Farms branded salads or kits are associated with the outbreak and that none of its salad kits contain iceberg lettuce.
Spokespeople from Pacific Bells, LLC and Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.
