Jack In The Box Settles Everett Girl’s E. Coli Lawsuit

The family of an Everett girl who fell ill in 1993 after eating a Jack in the Box hamburger contaminated with E. coli bacteria reached a settlement with the fast-food chain’s parent just before the case was to go to a jury.

Closing arguments scheduled in U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly’s court were canceled after the parties reached agreement Tuesday in the case of 9-year-old Alisha Stubblefield. Terms were not disclosed.

Some 90 cases have been settled with San Diego-based Foodmaker Inc. since the 1993 E. coli outbreak that killed three Washington children and sickened hundreds. Settlement amounts have ranged from $10,000 to $15.6 million.

The Stubblefield case would have been the first to go to a jury. The little girl became ill after eating at a Jack in the Box in Lynnwood. Her lawyers contend she still suffers from kidney problems.