1st Lawsuit Filed Over Foodborne Illness in Arizona

A customer has filed a lawsuit against a Mexican restaurant in Litchfield Park, Ariz., over an outbreak of bloody diarrhea.

The suit filed Monday says Federico’s Mexican Food restaurant was negligent in serving tainted food.

Eleven of the 15 people diagnosed with bloody diarrhea last week said they had eaten at the Federico’s restaurant.

Eight of those people were sent to a hospital.

State health department investigators determined that the E. coli bacteria was responsible for the illnesses.

A Seattle attorney who specializes in class action food-safety lawsuits is representing five of the people who got sick.

One of them – Bryan Clayton – filed the suit against the owners of Federico’s in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Clayton says he suffered severe gastrointestinal problems and is seeking compensation for damages from Federico’s.