She took her 6-year-old son to the Arizona State Fair's petting zoo. He wanted to play with the animals. Three days later he was hospitalized with an E. coli infection that shut down his kidneys and nearly cost him his life.
Now, Elizabeth Felix says her son, Julian, will require lifelong medical treatment and could require a kidney transplant in the future — and she wants to hold the state responsible.
Felix in an August 4 lawsuit claimed fair officials failed to take adequate precautions to prevent an E. coli outbreak that sickened dozens of people and left several children facing life-threatening illnesses.
Medical bills for Julian's 21-day stay at Phoenix Children's Hospital total $453,000 and his care costs could exceed more than $3 million
depending on his long-term health, according to the lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.
"The most important thing in this lawsuit to everybody, including the family, is to make sure we force changes so it doesn't happen to another kid," said Houston food safety lawyer Ron Simon, who is representing Felix and her family.
"It's a tragedy every time," he said. "I cannot understand as a lawyer, as a parent, how these petting zoos continue to make the same mistakes. It's always lack of sanitary conditions and allowing food and drink inside the pens."
A November investigation by The Arizona Republic tied E. coli cases to the State Fair, with multiple parents reporting their children became sick after coming in contact with a pig at the fair's petting zoo.
The Republic found there were no hand-washing stations with soap and running water attached to the petting exhibit; only hand sanitizer, which does not kill all strains of E. coli.
As the number of cases climbed in October and November, state health officials did not disclose potential sources, withholding the number of cases, the geographic spread or any potential connections.
State Fair officials declined comment, citing the ongoing lawsuit.
"The health and safety of our guests is our highest priority. We are aware of the lawsuit and cannot discuss it further at this time," said spokesperson Brianda Martinez.
Simon said fair officials acted irresponsibly by not putting better safeguards in place.
"People going to the fair place a tremendous amount of trust in the fair, they believe everything is taken care of and that they've made sure that it's safe for your kids." he said.
6-year-old's kidneys shut down after petting zoo visit
Petting zoos are notorious sources of E. coli and have been linked to multiple outbreaks, including one at the San Diego County Fair in 2019 responsible for the death of a 2-year-old.
E. coli typically spreads through contact with fecal matter. It can be transmitted through contaminated food, person-to-person or animals.
E. coli is the shortened name of a bacteria called Escherichia coli. It is found in the environment, foods and intestines of people and animals. Some strains of E. coli aren't dangerous, but others can be fatal. It can cause infections, pneumonia and kidney failure.
Felix's son was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure linked to a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection or STEC, according to the lawsuit.
Julian required dialysis treatments and was later diagnosed with Stage 3 Acute Kidney injury as a result of the syndrome. Because of the severity of his kidney injuries, he will have to be monitored for the rest of his life, the lawsuit claimed.
"Once you're on dialysis for a certain amount of time, your kidneys start to suffer irreparable damage." Simon said. "As a result, later on in life, a large portion of these kids will need a kidney transplant."
Julian will need to be monitored for the rest of his life, Simon said.
"He's going to have to pee in a cup, and they're going to check to see if he is spitting proteins in his urine, which is a sign of kidney failure." he said.
Simon said he is representing at least six families whose relatives got E. coli at the State Fair.
Health officials kept mum on State Fair outbreak
The public's first inkling the State Fair was the source of the E. coli outbreak came in November from a nonprofit group that supports children afflicted with hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Directors of the Tennessee-based group, Parker's Promise said parents contacted them from Phoenix Children's Hospital in early November and reported their children got sick after visiting the fair's petting zoo.
The group pointed to the Arizona State Fair as the source in emails and in social media posts, specifically to a pig in the exhibit. One parent, whose daughter was hospitalized with E.coli told The Repuublic that the only animal she touched was a pig.
The Arizona State Fair ran in Phoenix from Sept. 19 to Oct. 26. More than 1 million people attended.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health on Jan. 6 officially confirmed the fair's petting zoo as the source of the outbreak. It reported 18 cases "as confirmed or probable outbreak cases, including 16 children." Of those, 13 reported attending the State Fair.
County lab results obtained by Seattle food safety lawyer Bill Marler in January genetically linked 11 cases to the State Fair, meaning victims were sickened by the same strain and source. The results were primarily dated Nov. 13 — weeks before officials publicly confirmed the connection and closed the outbreak investigation.
Marler, who represents two families whose kids were hospitalized in the outbreak, said genome sequencing is so advanced and accurate that health officials were almost certainly aware that the fair's petting zoo was the source of the infection at the time.
"What's deadly for the state is that they apparently used to have hand-washing stations at the exhibit and they just decided to stop doing that," he said in an earlier interview, adding officials, "shouldn't be surprised if there was an outbreak."
No petting zoo, no feeding animals at State Fair in 2026
The Arizona State Fair opted to do away with a petting zoo in 2026, and has contracted with a local vendor to showcase animals and farm life in Arizona. The public will not be able to feed or pet the animals.
For the past 15 years, the fair's petting zoo was operated by a company called Great American Entertainment in Stephenville, Texas. Owners and managers there have not responded to multiple interview requests about the outbreak.
The company was founded in 1983 and bills itself online as "the number one educational and entertainment attraction company in the country." It provides "hands-on" shows for the event, fair and rodeo industry, according to its website.
Great American was involved in a 2005 E. coli outbreak at a fair in Fresno, Calif., that left six children hospitalized, including a 2-year-old who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, records show. Her kidneys failed and she had a series of strokes which left her with damaged kidneys, blindness in one eye, and difficulty walking.
Great American is not named in the Felix lawsuit.
Martinez said the fair in 2026 will feature Kerr's Farm tours, which promotes "Arizona’s agricultural roots" and says visitors will be able to get up close to "adorable baby cows, turkeys, sheep, goats, and chicks."
"As part of Kerr’s Farm Tours, guests can see the exhibit animals and interact with a farmer who will be there to share more about the animals and farm life." Martinez said. "There will not be animal feeding or petting as part of the experience."
The Felix family had no idea of the risks associated with petting zoos before Julian got sick. They followed the signs and the crowds and spent a long time letting Julian pet the pigs and the goats, according to the lawsuit.
"The unknown is scary." said Elizabeth Felix said in a statement. "But we pray and hope Julian's kidneys recover after all the challenges he overcame. He knows how brave he is, and we all remind him of that every day."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Family of 6-year-old sues State Fair over E. coli outbreak
