McDonald’s Class Action Lawsuit Filed for All Consumers Sold Quarter Pounders Contaminated With E. Coli

Slivered onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers are believed to be the cause of a widespread E. coli outbreak that has sickened consumers nationwide.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against McDonald’s by two customers who became ill with E. coli food poisoning after eating contaminated Quarter Pounder hamburgers,  alleging the fast food company knew or should have known its products carried a risk of illness, yet failed to communicate this information to consumers.

E. coli is a foodborne bacteria that can cause severe illness, with symptoms including diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever and dehydration. In some instances, especially among children, older individuals and those with weakened immune symptoms, E. coli food poisoning can even be deadly, leading to a condition known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure and other life-threatening injuries.

Following a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder E. coli outbreak that emerged earlier this month, a complaint (PDF) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on October 29, seeking class action status to pursue damages for all individuals throughout the United States who purchased the popular fast food hamburgers, which were contaminated with E. coli.

Plaintiffs Amanda McCray and William Michael Kraft brought the McDonald’s class action lawsuit on behalf of themselves, as well as all others similarly affected by the outbreak, which now includes at least 90 illnesses in 13 different states, including 27 cases serious enough to require hospitalizations and one death.

In the lawsuit, McCray and Kraft claim that they each became ill early in October 2024, after consuming McDonald’s Quarter Pounders contaminated with E. coli. They indicate that the company failed to ensure the safety of its products, and did not warn consumers of the potential health risk, which it now appears may be the result of contaminated slivered onions used on the hamburgers.

“No reasonable consumer would expect the Products to be contaminated with E. Coli,” the lawsuit states. “Accordingly, Plaintiffs and similarly situated consumers were injured as a result of purchasing the Products, including, among other things, they purchased and paid for products that did not conform to what was promised as promoted, marketed, advertised, packaged, and labeled by Defendant; they were deprived of the benefit of their bargain; they spent money on a product that did not have any value or had less value than warranted; and they would not have purchased and consumed had they known the truth about the products.”

As a result, McCray and Kraft are requesting certification of their claim as a class action, seeking compensatory, statutory and punitive damages for the harm caused by the products. In addition, they are asking for restitution, medical monitoring costs and an order preventing McDonald’s from selling the products until they are proven safe.

McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Slivered Onions

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first alerted the public to the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder E. coli outbreak on October 22. However, at the time, the precise source of contamination was unknown, with most sickened individuals simply saying they had eaten a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the days preceding their illness.

Since then, the most likely source for the outbreak has been traced back to slivered onions that are featured primarily on the Quarter Pounder hamburger and were sourced from Taylor Farms. The onions have since been recalled by the manufacturer, and businesses have been told not to serve them.

However, in the days immediately following the CDC’s announcement, McDonald’s food poisoning lawsuits started being filed by individuals who had been sickened in the outbreak.

The latest CDC update on the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak was issued on October 30, indicating that health officials have identified at least 90 illnesses in 13 different states.  The majority of illnesses have occurred in Colorado and Montana, although sickened individuals have also been reported in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.