Chipotle Slapped With Two More E. Coli Lawsuits

The bad news for Chipotle just keeps on coming: Two more customers affected by the chain's E. coli outbreak are now suing. Per the New York Daily News, Jessica Ellis of Mount Vernon, Wash., and Chris Collins of Lake Oswego, Ore., both filed lawsuits against Chipotle in federal court on Friday.

That brings the total number of E. coli-related lawsuits against Chipotle to three: The first was filed last week by a Washington woman who is seeking $75,000 to cover medical bills and lost wages. Brace for more lawsuits to come, too: Ellis and Collins are both being represented by a Seattle attorney, Bill Marler, who says "he's been retained by about a dozen other people who became sick after eating at Chipotle." The total number of illnesses linked to Chipotle is now 41 — 13 in Oregon and 28 in Washington.

More than 40 Chipotle locations in Washington and Oregon remain closed in the wake of the E. coli disaster as both Chipotle and local health officials try to pinpoint the source of the outbreak. The federal government is also pitching in, with the CDC now using genetic testing to help the investigation. It sounds like the investigators could be closing in on some answers: According to the NYDN, "Washington state epidemiologist Scott Lindquist said they've identified the DNA fingerprint in 17 of the cases, which will help officials learn the source." Final food testing results are expected today.