Bob Evans Food Poisoning Lawsuit Alleges Meal Led to Death of Elderly Couple

Bob Evans Farms faces a food poisoning lawsuit brought the family of a West Virginia couple, who both died following illnesses allegedly caused by bad meatloaf carried out of the restaurant. 

Virginia Starcher, a former West Virginia delegate, and her husband, Harold, both allegedly experienced food poisoning shortly after eating at a Bob Evans restaurant in October 2012, according to the lawsuit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court last week.

According to the complaint, the couple suffered complications due to the food poisoning that eventually led to each of their deaths.

The couple ordered a take-out meal from Bob Evans, consisting of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli and a roll. Hours after consuming it, they both began to suffer nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, resulting in the need for hospitalization. They tested positive for food poisoning at the hospital, according to the lawsuit.

As a consequence of the food poisoning, the lawsuit indicates that Harold suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered before his death in May 2013.

Starcher had been his wife’s caregiver until he suffered the stroke, because she herself had suffered a stroke six years earlier. Following Harold Starcher’s stroke, he had to be placed in a nursing home and was no longer able to care for her, according to the lawsuit. As a result, she was moved into a room near his in the same facility in November 2012, but was soon placed in hospice care. Virginia Starcher died in December 2012.

According to the complaint, Harold Starcher was active and working until he suffered food poisoning after eating at the Bob Evans restaurant. The lawsuit seeks compensation for their deaths and medical expenses of more than $250,000. Bob Evans officials claim the lawsuit is without merit.