- People are filing lawsuits against Wendy's after becoming infected with E. coli.
- The CDC hasn't confirmed the outbreak's source, but said many sick people had eaten Wendy's lettuce.
Lawsuits against Wendy's are mounting as an E. coli outbreak, believed to be caused by romaine lettuce served in its sandwiches, continues to spread, with close to 100 cases in the Midwest and one now reported in New York.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that 97 people have been affected by the outbreak so far in six states: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and New York. The latter two states are new to the list.
"A specific food has not yet been confirmed as the source of this outbreak, but many sick people reported eating burgers and sandwiches with romaine lettuce at Wendy's restaurants before getting sick," the CDC said.
Of the 81 people who information is available for, the CDC said 43 have been hospitalized as part of the outbreak and 10 have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious and rare condition that can cause kidney failure.
No deaths have been reported, the CDC said.
"The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses," the CDC said, explaining that it takes up to a month to determine if an illness is linked to an outbreak and that some people recover without medical care or aren't tested for E. coli.
As cases climb, a number of lawsuits have been filed against Wendy's.
Marler Clark, a Seattle-based food-safety law firm, has filed six lawsuits against Wendy's as well as its lettuce supplier, representing 36 people.
Two of the complaints were filed in Michigan and four in Ohio.
According to one lawsuit, a woman in Michigan began experiencing symptoms of E. coli four days after eating a burger at Wendy's. She was then hospitalized for 12 days.
An Ohio resident was hospitalized for a week after eating a burger at Wendy's, another lawsuit says.
"Additional lawsuits will be brought in the coming days," the firm said Wednesday.
Wendy's didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of normal working hours.
The CDC said that of the 67 people it has collected detailed food history for, 81% said they had eaten at Wendy's in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, or Pennsylvania in the week before their illness started. The sick people had eaten "a variety of menu items" and their illnesses started between July 26 and August 15, the CDC said.
According to the CDC, the E. coli outbreak has been identified in 58 people in Michigan, 24 in Ohio, 11 in Indiana, two in Pennsylvania, and one each in Kentucky and New York. The people are aged between three and 94, the CDC said.
The CDC said that Wendy's is cooperating in the investigation and has removed the lettuce in sandwiches in the region.
Wendy's uses a different type of romaine lettuce in its salads and there is currently no evidence suggesting that lettuce sold in grocery stores or served in other restaurants is linked to the outbreak, the CDC said.