Dad Sues Restaurant Chain After 3-Year-Old Suffers Kidney Failure Amid E. Coli Outbreak

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A man is suing The Kebab Shop and its supplier on behalf of his 3-year-old daughter, who suffered acute kidney failure after dining at the chain’s Costa Mesa location, according to authorities. The Kebab Shop is involved in an ongoing E. coli outbreak investigation.

Jeffrey Gogue ordered chicken and a beef kofta plate from the chain, and his daughter, identified only as KG, ate the beef, his attorney said. She suffered diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and dehydration; developed hemolytic uremic syndrome; and spent 17 days in the hospital, according to a news release from the law firm.

The lawsuit, filed in Orange County, alleges the girl is expected to face a “life-long battle following her severe kidney injury."

The state Department of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are investigating an E. coli outbreak linked to beef kofta and the Kebab Shops in California.

A total of nine California residents have been infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7, commonly known as STEC. Illness onset dates ranged from March 27 through April 30, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Out of the nine sickened, six were children. Five of the total sickened were hospitalized, and two of those individuals had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a severe complication that can lead to kidney failure.

"E. coli O157:H7 is uniquely dangerous to children, with the potential to cause life-threatening Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which is exactly what KG developed,” Ron Simon, who is representing the family, said in the news release.

Simon said the restaurant's negligence was due to not thoroughly cooking the meat. Any bacteria will be destroyed if meat is cooked to 165 degrees, he said.

Sales of the kofta were stopped nationwide on May 18, according to the restaurant chain.

The Kebab Shop said in an update Sunday that Olympia Foods, which provided the beef and is also named in the lawsuit, is no longer among its suppliers.

“We are deeply concerned that product from our supplier has been identified as the potential source of a foodborne illness outbreak,” the statement said. “Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by this outbreak. The health and safety of our customers is our highest priority.”

A message left with Olympia Foods by City News Service was not immediately returned.

City News Service contributed to this story.