MDL Sought for Cyclosporiasis Lawsuits Against Taco Bell, Taylor Farms

Lawsuits allege that inadequate food-safety measures allowed Cyclospora-contaminated produce from Taylor Farms to reach Taco Bell restaurants.

Attorneys representing consumers sickened during the 2026 cyclospora outbreak are asking a federal judicial panel to consolidate all related lawsuits against Taco Bell and Taylor Farms before one judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings.

The motion (PDF) was filed with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) on July 31, requesting creation of a new multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of California.

According to the filing, at least three federal class action lawsuits are pending in California, Michigan and Ohio. Each raises similar allegations that lettuce and other produce distributed by Taylor Farms was contaminated with Cyclospora before being served to customers at Taco Bell restaurants nationwide.

The plaintiffs maintain that the lawsuits involve overlapping factual and legal questions and should be centralized to streamline discovery, prevent conflicting pretrial rulings and reduce unnecessary costs for the parties and the courts.

2026 Cyclospora Outbreak

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness typically spread through contaminated fresh produce. Symptoms often include severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss, with illnesses sometimes lasting for weeks or recurring if left untreated.

The litigation started after a multistate cyclospora outbreak emerged earlier this year, which federal and state health officials linked to contaminated lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants, which was supplied by Taylor Farms.

Since July 2026, consumers have filed a number of cyclospora illness lawsuits alleging the companies failed to implement adequate food safety measures to prevent contaminated produce from entering the food supply. The complaints seek compensation for consumers who became seriously ill after eating at Taco Bell locations during the outbreak.

Plaintiffs Seek Cyclosporiasis MDL

In the motion, plaintiffs indicate the three currently pending federal lawsuits all arise from the same alleged contamination event and present common questions regarding the source of the outbreak, the defendants’ knowledge of the contamination and whether adequate safeguards were in place to prevent contaminated produce from reaching consumers.

According to the filing, the cases involve common factual issues, including:

• Whether the defendants sold food contaminated with Cyclospora;
• Whether they knew or should have known the products were contaminated;
• Whether their food safety procedures were adequate to prevent the outbreak;
• The geographic scope of the contaminated products; and
• The damages allegedly suffered by consumers.

The plaintiffs argue consolidating the lawsuits before one judge will eliminate duplicative discovery into common issues in the claims, reduce the risk of inconsistent pretrial rulings and conserve judicial resources.

The motion requests that all federal cases be transferred to the Northern District of California, arguing that it is a convenient forum given Taylor Farms’ and Taco Bell’s West Coast locations, as well as the court’s accessibility to others involved in the litigation.

If the JPML grants the request, one federal judge would oversee coordinated discovery, pretrial motions and other common proceedings for all federal cyclospora lawsuits filed nationwide.

Cyclospora Outbreak Lawsuits

The number of cyclospora lawsuits is expected to grow as additional consumers who became ill after eating contaminated food seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and other damages.

Should an MDL be established, the court will likely appoint leadership attorneys to coordinate the litigation and may later select several representative lawsuits for early bellwether trials.

Those test cases would not determine the outcome of other lawsuits, but they could help the parties evaluate how juries respond to evidence common to the litigation and potentially guide future cyclospora outbreak settlement discussions.

If the coordinated proceedings do not result in a global resolution, individual lawsuits could ultimately be returned to the federal courts where they were originally filed for separate trial dates.

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