Lawyer suing over parasite outbreak points finger at federal job cuts

(NewsNation) — The food safety attorney representing three Ohio residents in a lawsuit against Taco Bell said the parasite outbreak is an “out-of-control clown car,” despite the government’s insistence it’s on top of the illness.

As of July 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been 4,713 confirmed cases of cyclospora across 41 states, with 308 hospitalizations and more than 7,500 suspected cases still under investigation. At a press briefing Tuesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the outbreak was “under control” after federal investigators identified the source and initiated a voluntary recall.

Attorney Bill Marler is representing three Ohio residents who allege they became ill after eating at Taco Bell. The lawsuits also name Taylor Farms, Taco Bell’s lettuce supplier, alleging contaminated lettuce caused the illnesses.

Marler told NewsNation that regardless of what happens with the lawsuits, “the fact of the matter is we have the ability to fix this problem, but just haven’t done that,” arguing that funding cuts to the CDC, FDA and state and local health authorities have contributed to the scale of the outbreak.

“The fact that this is 2026 and we’re stumbling through an outbreak that’s bigger than any outbreak in 30 years … is just ridiculous,” Marler added. “I think the majority of these 12,000 cases will ultimately be linked to Taylor Farms lettuce grown in Mexico.”

Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall last week for its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after the FDA linked it to the outbreak. Products potentially contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states, including Ohio, the California-based company said in a statement.

Over the weekend, the FDA said a sample of lettuce from the company that initially came back positive for cyclospera was a false positive, but later confirmed it doesn’t change an ongoing recall or investigation into the outbreak.

“The test that Taylor Farms has touted as a false positive is frankly irrelevant,” Marler said, explaining that what they tested was a product that never made it onto the market.

Marler added that he believes it’s safe for Americans to continue eating leafy greens, but cautioned against consuming “pre-cut, triple washed bagged salad.”

NewsNation’s Marty Hobe and Jordan Perkins contributed to this report.

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