health
Minnesota woman hospitalized with sepsis sues Chipotle over salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeño peppers
Updated on: August 6, 2026 / 8:48 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota
TL;DR
- Kristen Behne is suing Chipotle after being hospitalized with sepsis, which she alleges was caused by salmonella-contaminated jalapeño peppers.
- The lawsuit claims Behne ate a chicken burrito bowl from a Chipotle in Roseville, Minnesota, on June 24 and subsequently developed severe symptoms.
- The outbreak has been linked to at least 110 illnesses in Minnesota and 212 nationally, with Chipotle attributing it to a single lot of jalapeño peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico.
- Chipotle removed the implicated jalapeños in early August and has stated that health authorities do not consider there to be an ongoing risk from their restaurants.
- The lawsuit references Chipotle's history of foodborne illness incidents, including a 2015 outbreak and a 2020 fine for outbreaks between 2015 and 2018.
- The attorney for Behne suggests that this lawsuit is likely the first of many and anticipates that case counts and potential fatalities could rise.