QDOBA class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Two consumers filed a class action lawsuit against QDOBA Restaurant Corp., Butterfly Equity LP and Coast Citrus Distributors LLC.
- Why: The plaintiffs claim jalapeños supplied by Coast Citrus and served at QDOBA caused a multistate Salmonella outbreak.
- Where: The QDOBA class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
A new class action lawsuit claims the QDOBA fast-casual chain served jalapeños contaminated with Salmonella at locations nationwide, sickening customers in a multistate outbreak.
Plaintiffs Nicole Trujillo and Sherdi Sardari Kerman filed the class action lawsuit against QDOBA, its parent company Butterfly Equity LP and jalapeño supplier Coast Citrus.
Trujillo says she bought nachos containing jalapeños from a QDOBA in Aurora, Colorado, on July 31, 2026, and became ill with nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain within hours. Kerman says she ate a birria burrito bowl with jalapeños at a QDOBA in Portland, Oregon, on July 11, 2026, and developed severe diarrhea.
According to the QDOBA class action lawsuit, federal health officials linked a multistate Salmonella Javiana outbreak to jalapeños grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus to restaurants, including QDOBA and Chipotle.
As of the outbreak investigation, 431 people across 32 states were reportedly infected, including 57 hospitalizations and no deaths, with illnesses beginning between June 19 and Aug. 2, 2026.
QDOBA jalapeños allegedly sold without warning of Salmonella risk
The plaintiffs argue that QDOBA and Coast Citrus failed to ensure that the jalapeños were safe for consumption. The class action lawsuit alleges that the defendants failed to notify consumers of the risk of Salmonella infection through product labels or other warnings.
The class action claims QDOBA, Butterfly Equity and Coast Citrus knew or should have known about the contamination risk but failed to warn customers. “If [the plaintiffs] had been aware of the risk of S. Javiana infection, they would not have purchased the products,” the lawsuit states.
The class action lawsuit alleges violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Colorado’s Consumer Protection Act and Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act, along with claims for strict product liability, negligence and unjust enrichment.
Trujillo and Kerman want to represent a nationwide class of consumers who purchased jalapeños distributed by Coast Citrus at QDOBA, along with Colorado and Oregon subclasses.
The plaintiffs demand a jury trial and seek compensatory, statutory and punitive damages, restitution, and an order barring QDOBA and Coast Citrus from continuing to sell the jalapeños as currently labeled.
During a summer cyclospora outbreak, Taylor Farms and Taco Bell were hit with lawsuits over contaminated leafy greens that sickened consumers across several states.
Did you get sick after eating jalapeños from QDOBA? Let us know in the comments.
Trujillo and Kerman are represented by Michael Reese and Charles D. Moore of Reese LLP and Andre Belanger of Poulin Willey Anastopoulo LLC.
The QDOBA class action lawsuit is Trujillo, et al. v. QDOBA Restaurant Corp., et al., Case No. 3:26-cv-05137-BJC-VET, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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