A San Diego man, Jeremy Byrd, has taken legal action against The Brigantine, Inc., the holding company of the restaurant chain Miguel's Cocina, over claims of negligence and serving contaminated food linked to an E. coli outbreak dating back to 2023. The suit, filed in the San Diego Superior Court last Friday, is in response to an incident where Byrd and his stepbrother suffered severe illness after eating at Miguel's Cocina's 4S Ranch branch, CBS 8 reported.
The legal filing alleges that the restaurant served food tainted with Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli. It highlights unsanitary conditions, including vermin infestations and the misuse of pesticides, leading to "fecally contaminated, adulterated, poisoned, toxic food," as per CBS 8. This incident has been marked by 35 confirmed cases, multiple hospitalizations, and one death, out of which an 87-year-old man, a Korean War veteran and respected local banker, was fatally affected.
The outbreak, which took place in October 2023, resulted in the temporary closure of the 4S Ranch Miguel’s Cocina. Investigations conducted by county health officials had then linked several employees, including a food handler, to the infectious outbreak, suggesting an extended window of exposure to contaminated ingredients, such as speculated cilantro, though no single definitive source was ever confirmed.
The Migel's Cocina chain, which operates several locations in the San Diego area, faced a decline in reputation after the outbreak, compelling the 4S Ranch location to shut down permanently on November 4. Actor Mark Wahlberg's Flecha Cantina is set to take over the former Miguel’s Cocina space, planning for an opening in 2026. "The restaurant temporarily closed following the outbreak, underwent deep cleaning, replaced all ingredients on site, and retrained staff before reopening in November 2023," SanDiegoVille wrote.
