Chi-Chi's lawsuit filed
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The mother of a Beaver County boy who contracted hepatitis A from a friend who ate at a Chi-Chi's restaurant in the Beaver Valley Mall two years ago, has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant claiming negligence.
In it, Jana Brooks, claims her son, Jesse Dilts, of Hookstown, became ill after sharing lunch with a friend on Nov. 28, 2003. That friend, whom Jesse didn't know was ill, had previously eaten at Chi-Chi's. That fall, the restaurant was the site of the largest hepatitis A outbreak ever in the United States. A total of 660 people were sickened with hepatitis A, and four people who ate at Chi-Chi's died from the disease.
Jesse tested positive for hepatitis A on Dec. 19, 2003. Because of his illness, Ms. Brooks claims her son's grades dropped, he had to repeat a semester of class work and he missed winter sports.
The outbreak was linked to green onions, which were found to be contaminated before they arrived at the restaurant.
