DUBUQUE, Iowa, March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today (Thursday), the national food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates, along with Iowa-based co-counsel the Hammer Law Firm, filed the first lawsuit stemming from E. coli O103-contaminated sandwiches sold at Jimmy John’s locations in Iowa.

The lawsuit was filed against Jimmy John’s on behalf of Kahler Folkedahl, a patron who frequented a local Jimmy John’s restaurant in Dubuque, Iowa in November of 2019. Shortly thereafter, Kahler began to experience vomiting, abdominal cramps, and hematochezia associated with E. coli poisoning. Kahler was hospitalized for three days, and thereafter notified by the local health department that she was suffering from the strain of E. coli O103 linked to consumption of contaminated sprouts sold on Jimmy John’s sandwiches.

Health Officials Link E. coli Outbreak to Consumption of Sprouts Sold at Jimmy John’s
The Iowa Department of Public Health has reported that a total of 22 people from Iowa have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103. All of the victims were interviewed by the health officials, and all confirmed that they had consumed Jimmy John’s sandwiches prior to their illnesses.

The Iowa Department of Inspections tested samples of sprouts served at Jimmy John’s, and also the water used to irrigate the sprouts at the farm on which they were grown. Both tested positive for E coli O103. Health officials thereafter concluded that the contaminated sprouts sold on Jimmy John’s sandwiches were the vehicle for the E. coli O103 outbreak.
Jimmy John’s has since pulled sprouts from all of its locations in the United States.

Attorney Ron Simon who represents Kahler Folkedahl and other victims of this and numerous other Jimmy John’s food poisoning outbreaks, issued the following statement: “Unfortunately, Jimmy John’s has been linked to too many outbreaks in recent years. In fact, Jimmy John’s recently received a Warning Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detailing numerous violations in the serving of contaminated sprouts spanning across the last decade. Through this lawsuit and others, we will determine how this contamination occurred and how it can be prevented in the future, so that this never happens to Jimmy John’s customers again.”

Mr. Simon and his law firm have established a Jimmy John’s E. Coli Claim Center to assist victims in the outbreak. The E. Coli Claim Center can be reached toll-free at 1-888-335-4901.