In his complaint, attorney Michael Ahern says he and his wife contracted norovirus during the November 30, 2024, event, thanks to food contaminated by a kitchen staffer at The Box House Hotel who was purportedly suffering from the highly contagious gastrointestinal bug<\/a>. <\/p>\n The couple, who paid The Box House some $30,000 to cater their big day, endured \u201crepeated episodes of vomiting and diarrhea,\u201d in addition to \u201cchills, abdominal cramps, and fatigue,\u201d and were bedridden for \u201cseveral days\u201d afterward, the complaint states.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of beginning their marriage by celebrating with family and friends, Plaintiff and his spouse spent the days following their wedding suffering from the debilitating effects of the norovirus outbreak caused by food served at their reception,\u201d it contends.<\/p>\n Stool samples submitted to local authorities by the Aherns both tested positive for norovirus. More than 30 of the 112 guests who attended the reception also fell ill with norovirus-type symptoms, according to the complaint. <\/p>\n A subsequent New York City Department of Health investigation found that all of them had eaten three specific menu items at the event: prosciutto, macaroni-and-cheese croquettes, and a \u201cseasonal crumble\u201d dessert. <\/p>\n The report, which was filed as an exhibit in court, identified \u201cmultiple deficiencies in [the hotel restaurant\u2019s] food-safety and sanitation practices,\u201d such as not having any hand soap in the kitchen. Norovirus is usually transmitted through the \u201cfecal-oral route<\/a>,\u201d according to the American Medical Association.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re sorry that guests got sick after this wedding,\u201d a spokesperson for The Box House Hotel told The Independent. \u201cIt was meant to be one of the best nights of their lives and it wasn’t, and we understand why that still stings.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the spokesperson said the hotel and restaurant cooperated fully with the Health Department, giving them access to their kitchen, access to their records and staff, and followed all of the follow-up guidance provided. <\/p>\n \u201cWe retrained our people on handwashing and on reporting illness, we tightened how we check food temperatures, and we had the restaurant and the event spaces fully disinfected, which was requested by the Department of Health and we happily obliged,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n They said the hotel\u2019s restaurant scored an A on its next inspection, and retains that rating today. They also argued that norovirus was \u201ceverywhere in New York that winter,\u201d and that restaurants, hotels, schools and offices \u201cacross the five boroughs were all dealing with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA wedding weekend runs over several days and several venues, with food from more than one kitchen, and people moving through a city where the virus was already widespread,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cIt could have started in any of those places, to attribute it to merely one space is not appropriate given the Norovirus\u2019 rampant spread throughout all of New York City at the time. Further, the client brought in their own food from after-party pizzas as well as cakes and other items for their guests to enjoy for their wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n The one employee who tested positive for norovirus had not reported being sick, and had not prepared any of the three dishes in question, according to the Health Department report, which conceded that \u201cspecific food vehicles as a mode of transmission remain undetermined for this outbreak.\u201d<\/p>\n The spokesperson said the hotel takes this issue \u201cvery seriously,\u201d and that they have \u201cmade changes because of it.\u201d At the same time, they said that the property has hosted nearly 1,000 weddings and events over the past 15 years, had never had an outbreak before, and has not had one since.<\/p>\n When the Aherns booked their reception at The Box House<\/a>, a Greenpoint loft-style property where rooms hover in the $450 range and can reach into the thousands for the penthouse suite, the hotel\u2019s on-site restaurant, the Brooklyn Lantern, was to provide all food and drink for the Saturday night event, according to their complaint<\/a>, which was filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court.<\/p>\n \u201cA full-service restaurant & bar specializing in creative American cuisine, craft and local beer, and imaginative cocktails,\u201d the hotel\u2019s website tells prospective guests. \u201cOur chefs believe in organic and sustainable farming, using only the freshest ingredients, served in a refined, vibrant environment.\u201d<\/p>\n At the reception, Ahern ate, among other things, the prosciutto, macaroni-and-cheese croquettes, and seasonal crumble dessert, the complaint states. When it was over, it says the two spent the night at The Box House, then ate breakfast the next morning at the Brooklyn Lantern and headed home to Manhattan.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the evening of December 1, 2024, Plaintiff and his spouse began experiencing nausea and vomiting,\u201d the complaint continues.\u201dOn Monday, December 2, 2024, Plaintiff and his spouse were bedridden due to their illness and experienced repeated episodes of vomiting and diarrhea, as well as chills, abdominal cramps, and fatigue. Plaintiff missed work due to his illness that day. Plaintiff\u2019s symptoms continued for several days.\u201d <\/p>\n Over the next day or two, 31 others who were at the reception developed \u201cacute gastrointestinal symptoms,\u201d according to the complaint. At the same time, the New York City Department of Health dispatched an inspector to the Brooklyn Lantern for an environmental review, and distributed stool sample kits<\/a> to six food handlers who had worked the wedding reception. <\/p>\n The city\u2019s Bureau of Communicable Disease contacted attendees for telephone interviews to try and narrow down the cause, the complaint stated. <\/p>\n In September 2025, the Department of Health issued its findings.<\/p>\n \u201cThe outbreak was likely due to consumption of food contaminated by a norovirus-positive food handler,\u201d the report<\/a> said.<\/p>\n Health inspectors issued the hotel violations for not having hand soap in the restaurant\u2019s kitchen or bar area, the complaint states. Further, it says the kitchen lacked a proper thermometer for determining food temperatures.<\/p>\n Since then, the report says, \u201cno additional illness associated with The Box House Hotel or The Brooklyn Lantern has been identified to date.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahern claims in his complaint that he tried to resolve the matter with The Box House without having to resort to litigation, but that the two sides could not come to an agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cDefendant had a duty to provide Plaintiff and his guests with food that was safe for consumption and to maintain its food service facilities in a sanitary condition,\u201d the complaint states. \u201cIts failure to do so turned what should have been one of the most memorable occasions of Plaintiff\u2019s life into a serious and entirely preventable illness.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Norovirus_3D_structural_rendering_-_1111.jpeg\")
A newlywed couple’s wedding reception was ground zero for more than 30 norovirus infections, according to court filings (Creative Commons)<\/p>\n![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-24-at-4-44-01-PM.png\")
Michael Ahern and his new bride claim in a lawsuit that they and 31 others were sickened by the catering at their wedding reception, and say a norovirus-positive kitchen staffer at The Box House Hotel contaminated the food (Google Maps)<\/p>\n