$10m for boy who needed new liver after eating at restaurant

A boy who suffered liver failure after eating at a Seattle restaurant has won $10m in an out-of-court settlement.

Eight-year-old Christian Decker and his parents ate at a Seattle Subway Sandwiches & Salads shop in September 1999.

Christian, along with 35 other people, contracted hepatitis A. The others eventually recovered but he had to undergo a liver transplant.

He is expected to need another transplant and will be on medication for the rest of his life to stop his body rejecting the transplant, according to court documents.

Other people who fell ill became part of a class-action lawsuit that was settled for more than $1m last year, reports said.

But Christian and his parents, Brad and Laura Decker, filed their own lawsuit in February 2000.

The case was to go to trial in King County Superior Court in late June but the settlement - worth the equivalent of £7m - was reached instead.

Hepatitis A can lead to symptoms including diarrhoea, fatigue and fever.

It is spread through unsanitary conditions that can be avoided if food workers thoroughly wash their hands before handling food and wear plastic gloves during food preparation. Court documents allege employees didn't meet those state requirements.

Subway Northwest noted the violations and wrote letters to the owners and Doctor Association, which grants Subway franchises.