A bride and groom – plus more than a quarter of their guests – were allegedly sickened by tainted charcuterie, croquettes and a “seasonal” dessert served at the trendy Brooklyn boutique hotel hosting their wedding reception, according to a state lawsuit reviewed by The Independent.
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.
The couple, who paid The Box House some $30,000 to cater their big day, endured “repeated episodes of vomiting and diarrhea,” in addition to “chills, abdominal cramps, and fatigue,” and were bedridden for “several days” afterward, the complaint states.
“Instead 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,” it contends.
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.
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 “seasonal crumble” dessert.
open image in galleryThe report, which was filed as an exhibit in court, identified “multiple deficiencies in [the hotel restaurant’s] food-safety and sanitation practices,” such as not having any hand soap in the kitchen. Norovirus is usually transmitted through the “fecal-oral route,” according to the American Medical Association.
“We’re sorry that guests got sick after this wedding,” a spokesperson for The Box House Hotel told The Independent. “It was meant to be one of the best nights of their lives and it wasn’t, and we understand why that still stings.”
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.
“We 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,” the spokesperson said.
They said the hotel’s restaurant scored an A on its next inspection, and retains that rating today. They also argued that norovirus was “everywhere in New York that winter,” and that restaurants, hotels, schools and offices “across the five boroughs were all dealing with it.”
“A 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,” the spokesperson said. “It could have started in any of those places, to attribute it to merely one space is not appropriate given the Norovirus’ 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.”
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 “specific food vehicles as a mode of transmission remain undetermined for this outbreak.”
open image in galleryThe spokesperson said the hotel takes this issue “very seriously,” and that they have “made changes because of it.” 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.
When the Aherns booked their reception at The Box House, a Greenpoint loft-style property where rooms hover in the $450 range and can reach into the thousands for the penthouse suite, the hotel’s on-site restaurant, the Brooklyn Lantern, was to provide all food and drink for the Saturday night event, according to their complaint, which was filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“A full-service restaurant & bar specializing in creative American cuisine, craft and local beer, and imaginative cocktails,” the hotel’s website tells prospective guests. “Our chefs believe in organic and sustainable farming, using only the freshest ingredients, served in a refined, vibrant environment.”
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.
“On the evening of December 1, 2024, Plaintiff and his spouse began experiencing nausea and vomiting,” the complaint continues.”On 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’s symptoms continued for several days.”
Over the next day or two, 31 others who were at the reception developed “acute gastrointestinal symptoms,” 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 to six food handlers who had worked the wedding reception.
The city’s Bureau of Communicable Disease contacted attendees for telephone interviews to try and narrow down the cause, the complaint stated.
In September 2025, the Department of Health issued its findings.
“The outbreak was likely due to consumption of food contaminated by a norovirus-positive food handler,” the report said.
Health inspectors issued the hotel violations for not having hand soap in the restaurant’s kitchen or bar area, the complaint states. Further, it says the kitchen lacked a proper thermometer for determining food temperatures.
Since then, the report says, “no additional illness associated with The Box House Hotel or The Brooklyn Lantern has been identified to date.”
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.
“Defendant 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,” the complaint states. “Its failure to do so turned what should have been one of the most memorable occasions of Plaintiff’s life into a serious and entirely preventable illness.”
The suit comes amid a multi-state cyclospora outbreak that has been traced back to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell.
Ahern is seeking damages to be determined at trial. The Box House Hotel now has roughly three weeks to file an answer in court.