Second Iowan files lawsuit against Jimmy John's for tainted sprouts

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - A 23-year-old woman has become the second Iowan to sue Jimmy John's sandwich chain over an outbreak of foodborne illness linked to sprouts.

Mollie Horton of Altoona filed the lawsuit Thursday in Polk County District Court. She said she fell ill Dec. 26, days after eating a sandwich from a Jimmy John's party platter at a family gathering.

Horton's lawsuit said she removed the sprouts from the sandwich but nonetheless caught E. coli poisoning that caused her to be hospitalized for three days and sick for weeks. Testing showed her illness was the result of the strain linked to the outbreak, which sickened 12 people in five states.

A Jimmy John's spokeswoman declined comment. But Horton's attorney, Bill Marler, says the Illinois-based chain has finally pulled sprouts from its menu.