Two Virginia Men Sue Chipotle Following Norovirus Outbreak

STERLING, VA—Two men are suing Chipotle after they got sick eating at a Sterling, Virginia location, according to WTOP. The two men are among over 135 people that fell ill after eating at the location, while at least two tested positive for norovirus. They are suing for $74,000 in damages.

The store closed for a day on July 18 following a norovirus outbreak. The men's attorney, Ron Simon, told WTOP there's a case because the illness was traced back to a specific source.

Reports had surfaced of customers experiencing vomiting, diarrhea and vomiting after eating Chipotle. The norovirus was traced back to a employee that came into work sick, and company investigations found managers were not following protocol on handling sick employees.

Dr. David Goodfriend said following the incident food supplies were likely not a concern. As a precaution, open food containers were discarded, and the store received a full cleaning before it reopened.

“The Health Department is not aware of any customers becoming ill since the reopening of the facility last Wednesday," Goodfriend said in a statement last week. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Norovirus is a common virus that can be transmitted from person to person or food or water that has been infected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus can also be spread by touching contaminated surfaces. The CDC says those infected show symptoms 12 to 48 hours after exposure to norovirus. The infected customers ate at Chipotle from July 13 to 16.

The two men filed the case in Loudoun County Circuit Court. Simon said the lawsuit is meant to push Chipotle to make changes on food safety.

“What we claim Chipotle should have done is have better safety measures in place to make sure sick workers aren’t allowed to work,” Simon told WTOP. “We should never be in a position where someone that is sick is handling your food.”

Chipotle had dealt with a similar fallout when outbreaks of E. coli were found across the U.S. in 2015. According to the CDC, 60 cases and 22 hospitalizations were reported across 14 states. Chipotle said it was not able to link the E. coli breakout to a specific item, since many of the foods are cooked together.

And it's not the first time Chipotle has been linked to a norovirus breakout. In 2015, the virus broke out in California, while more than 140 people fell ill in December at a Boston location. After these incidents, stores closed for a day in February 2016 for employees to discuss food safety. Again the restaurants will hold safety training to ensure employees are following company policy.

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