Shit Storm

SHIT STORM… Thanks to Squid’s preference for shrimp-flavored snacks, Squid hasn’t been anywhere near the pathogen that has sickened thousands of Americans with cyclosporiasis (although Squid has been unable to stay away from the phrase “explosive diarrhea” in the news every day). Salinas-based Taylor Farms has been in the spotlight – and not in a good way – ever since the FDA, which is responsible for investigating foodborne illnesses, linked the company to the outbreak via contaminated lettuce grown in central Mexico.

The lawsuits have already started, even without clarity as to what went wrong. Law firm Ron Simon & Associates first filed suit in Ohio against Taylor Farms and Taco Bell on July 17, and says it already represents hundreds of clients. “If a stubborn stomach illness has kept you close to a bathroom for days or weeks, you’re not imagining how serious it feels,” they wrote in a statement. Squid would rather not imagine that, thank you very much.

But in Taylor Farms’ terrible, horrible, no-good summer, just when Squid thought it couldn’t get any worse – except, of course, see symptoms described above – Squid learned the company sued one of its former executives in federal court. Brian Thure, the former director of Taylor Farms Tennessee, allegedly placed his wife, Julie Thure – as well as her mother and sister and others in the Thures' personal orbit – on Taylor Farms payroll, to the tune of $3 million.

That’s just the beginning. An IRS audit in 2025 revealed some questionable reimbursement practices and, according to the suit, Thure and family collected $6.5 million in fraudulent expense reimbursements. It all came to a head when, allegedly, Thure admitted to it in a recorded phone call with corporate execs and “also spoke to his propensity to engage in extravagant personal spending on activities such as gambling and women, none of which were related to any legitimate business purpose.” On April 8, he left a voicemail for CEO Bruce Taylor with a confession and apology, the lawsuit states.

All told, the company suspects he stole more than $32 million. That’s an eye-popping number.

According to court papers filed by the Thures’ attorneys, there is a pending federal criminal investigation, as well. They are asking the court to give them extra time to respond to the allegations while waiting for the criminal proceedings to play out; Taylor Farms’ attorneys are arguing against a delay. (Squid’s colleagues did not hear back from the defendants’ attorneys; Taylor Farms declined to comment.)

Nobody yet knows how many plaintiffs will seek how much money for their terrible, horrible, no-good summer of food poisoning, but maybe whatever Taylor Farms gets back from the Thures will be enough to cover those claims.