It was supposed to be the celebration of a lifetime.
Instead, a newly married couple — along with dozens of their wedding guests — say they were left sick in bed after food catered by an upscale Brooklyn hotel for their reception was contaminated with norovirus, according to a new lawsuit.
Michael Ahern and his wife paid $30,000 to host their wedding reception at The Box House in Greenpoint, only to suffer “repeated episodes of vomiting and diarrhea” afterward, the Independent reported.
Court papers allege the couple’s nuptials were derailed by norovirus, a highly contagious stomach illness known to cause abrupt and intense vomiting and diarrhea, after the virus contaminated food served at the event.
“Instead of beginning their marriage by celebrating with family and friends … [they] spent the days following their wedding suffering from the debilitating effects of the norovirus outbreak caused by food served at their reception,” the lawsuit alleges.
Ahern and his wife later tested positive for norovirus after providing stool samples to health authorities, according to the court filings.
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They were not the only ones affected. The lawsuit claims 30 of the 112 people who attended the wedding reception also became ill with similar symptoms after eating items including prosciutto, macaroni-and-cheese croquettes or a “seasonal crumble” dessert.
A spokesperson for The Box House told the outlet the venue was “sorry guests got sick after this wedding” and said staff had since been retrained on cleanliness standards.
“It was meant to be one of the best nights of their lives and it wasn’t, and we understand why that still stings,” the spokesperson said.
Norovirus was spreading all throughout the city at the time, according to the spokesperson, who claimed the party had brought in some of their own food from outside the venue.
A city Department of Health report found that one employee at the Brooklyn Lantern – the hotel’s on-site restaurant – had tested positive for norovirus at the time.
However, the report said the employee hadn’t prepared any of the dishes that allegedly sickened the Aherns’ guests.
The report concluded that “specific food vehicles as a mode of transmission remain undetermined for this outbreak.”
A spokesperson for the Lantern claimed there have been no instances of norovirus at the restaurant before or since the alleged outbreak.
