FIRST LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL IN MULTISTATE SALMONELLA OUTBREAK

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers and Nicolet Law have filed the first lawsuit against Chipotle Mexican Grill arising from the 2026 multistate Salmonella outbreak. The lawsuit has been filed in Minnesota federal court, the state where the Plaintiff lives and one of the states hardest hit by the outbreak. A copy of the Complaint (Case No. 26-cv-03514) is available upon request.

The Plaintiff is Minnesota resident Kristen Behne, who fell ill days after consuming a burrito bowl. The bacteria infected her blood, a potentially lethal complication of Salmonella poisoning, according to the Complaint. 

In the wake of the outbreak, Chipotle indicated that jalapenos were the likely vehicle for the outbreak strain of Salmonella but has not yet identified the supplier.

OFT Lawyer Ryan Osterholm has called on Chipotle to tell the public what it knows of the source and scope of the outbreak. “Chipotle says it has linked the source of contamination to jalapenos but has not disclosed where those jalapenos came from, where they were sold, or how many consumers have been impacted,” Osterholm said. “Last time we sued Chipotle, they said they would reinvent how it traced its products from farm to fork. If they did what they said they were going to, now is the time to prove it. If you want the public to trust you, you’ve got to come clean. Transparency and trust go hand in hand,” he said in a recent interview.

According to Osterholm, “This outbreak could be massive. The fact that there are already hundreds of people sickened in multiple states indicates that the total case count is much higher. If you ate at Chipotle and have symptoms, you should seek medical care. Salmonella can be extremely serious,” Osterholm said.

So far, FDA reports that the outbreak sickened 212 people in multiple states. Those numbers, however, are expected to increase as the investigation goes on.

With over five decades of combined experience, the lawyers at OFT Law have recovered tens of millions on behalf of food poisoning victims. If you have been affected by this outbreak, contact OFT Law for a free consultation today. Call or text 888-828-7087 or email advice@oftlaw.com. More information about the outbreak and foodborne illness cases is available at https://www.oftlaw.com/current-outbreaks/salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-jalapenos-at-chipotle-and-mexican-restaurants/ and https://nicoletlaw.com/blog/salmonella-javiana-outbreak/

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SOURCE OFT Law PLLC