Oklahoma Woman Suing Chipotle After Contracting E. Coli

Chipotle restaurants across the nation have reopened following an E. Coli outbreak that sickened nearly 100 customers.

Now, an Oklahoma woman is suing the restaurant, claiming she contracted the bacteria at a Norman store.

Eleven states reported being affected by the outbreaks at Chipotle, including a Norman location. 

For 25-year-old Haley Hadlock, it started with an online lunch order on November 18 at the Chipotle on Campus Corner. According the lawsuit filed Monday in Cleveland County, Hadlock picked up the food from the restaurant and ate it for lunch.

Three days later, Hadlock said she began feeling ill with "severe abdominal cramps … flu-like symptoms". By November 25, court documents state, Hadlock visited an urgent care facility.

There, she was tested for E. Coli -- "that ultimately would test positive."

Court documents state Hadlock "continued to be ill over the course of the next week suffering from painful symptoms". At one point, her parents rushed her to the hospital to figure out the cause of the pain.

Hadlock's attorney, William Marler, blames the illness on the food she ate from Chipotle.

“Six separate outbreaks in six months. I mean, that just, that just doesn't happen,” Marler said.

Marler and Clark, a Seattle-based law firm, represents Hadlock and nearly 100 other Chipotle customers who blame the restaurant for getting sick.

Since the outbreaks, the chain has rolled out new food-safety procedures, including DNA testing before ingredients are shipped to restaurants, blanching some produce and new protocols for marinating chicken and steak.

Hadlock is requesting Chipotle pay damages in excess of $75,000, as well as pay for her court costs.