Key Takeaways
- Chicago resident Roxie Ellis Douglas, 68, sued Wendy’s for more than $50,000, alleging a contaminated double cheeseburger and baked potato caused a Campylobacter infection.
- Douglas says the illness led to severe gastrointestinal symptoms, two hospital stays and $93,578.24 in medical expenses, with treatment continuing into 2026.
- Wendy’s moved the case to federal court and requested a jury trial, while the CDC identifies Campylobacter as a common cause of diarrheal illness that poses greater risks to adults 65 and older.
A Chicago woman is suing Wendy's after claiming a double cheeseburger meal left her hospitalized twice and staring down nearly $100,000 in medical bills.
According to USA Today, Roxie Ellis Douglas, 68, alleges a Wendy's meal delivered to her home last year was contaminated with Campylobacter, a type of bacteria that can cause serious gastrointestinal illness.
Her lawsuit, initially filed July 30 in Cook County, was moved to federal court on Aug. 20 at Wendy's request, with the fast-food chain also demanding a jury trial. Douglas is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
According to the complaint, Douglas ordered a double cheeseburger and baked potato online from a Wendy's on South Stony Island Avenue in Chicago on Aug. 5, 2025. The food arrived in a sealed DoorDash bag, but Douglas alleges it was already contaminated before leaving the restaurant.
She says the meal caused a Campylobacter infection that led to severe diarrhea, dehydration, inflammation of the colon, an elevated white blood cell count and low potassium levels.
The medical fallout wasn't cheap. Records included with the lawsuit put Douglas' expenses at $93,578.24, covering emergency transportation, two hospitalizations in August 2025 and subsequent treatment. Her medical care continued into this year, including a colonoscopy in January.
Douglas accuses Wendy's of failing to properly store, inspect, prepare and handle its food, as well as failing to prevent potentially dangerous bacteria from reaching customers. The lawsuit alleges the restaurant sold food that was unsafe and "unfit for human consumption." Neither Wendy's nor Douglas' attorney had provided USA Today with a comment.
Campylobacter infections aren't obscure, either. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies the bacteria as one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the United States.
It is frequently associated with raw or undercooked poultry and can also spread when other foods become cross-contaminated during preparation. People 65 and older are among those at increased risk of developing severe illness—putting Douglas, who was 67 when she ate the meal, squarely within that higher-risk group.
The allegations arrive amid another lawsuit putting fast-food preparation under scrutiny. Earlier this year, Texas resident Yvette Hinds sued McDonald's over a Sausage McMuffin with Egg she purchased at a Midtown Manhattan restaurant in 2023.
Hinds alleged that the sandwich was "wholly unfit for human consumption" and contained contaminants that left her "violently ill and nauseated."
Her complaint went considerably further, claiming she ultimately required "several operations, procedures and treatments."
