Current:Home > InvestÓrla Baxendale's Family Sues Over Her Death From Alleged Mislabeled Cookie -CapitalTrack
Órla Baxendale's Family Sues Over Her Death From Alleged Mislabeled Cookie
View
Date:2025-04-18 02:45:13
Órla Baxendale's family want to hold Stew Leonard's accountable.
Four months after the dancer died from a severe allergic reaction after eating a cookie at a Connecticut supermarket, her mom Angela Baxendale and estate co-administrator Louis Grandelli filed a wrongful death suit against the grocery store chain and manufacturer Cookies United.
In the lawsuit filed May 23, lawyers for Baxendale's parents and estate allege that the 25-year-old, who had a severe peanut allergy, had in January consumed a Florentine cookie sold at Stew Leonard's Danbury, Conn., store. According to the filing, obtained by E! News, the dancer experienced an anaphylactic reaction causing symptoms such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and swallowing, dizziness, lightheadedness and increased heartrate and was taken to a hospital, where she died.
The lawyers for Baxendale's estate allege the market was negligent in Baxendale's Jan. 11 death, accusing the chain of ignoring or failing to heed an emailed July 2023 letter from Cookies United that had informed the company of the addition of peanuts in its Florentine cookies. The supermarket chain then allegedly failed to properly label the product or include a warning about the change in ingredients, the filing alleges.
Stew Leonard's CEO Stew Leonard, Jr. said in a Jan. 24 video statement that the cookies' supplier changed the recipe for a holiday cookie from soy nuts to peanuts and that his company's chief safety officer was never notified about the change.
"We have a very rigorous process that we use, as far as labeling," he added. "We take labels very seriously, especially peanuts."
Around the same time, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) issued a public health warning stating that select packages of Florentine cookies sold at a couple of Stew Leonard's in the state contain both undeclared peanuts and eggs. Stew Leonard's said in a Jan. 25 press release it was recalling select Florentine cookies for this reason, adding that "one death has been reported that may be associated with the mislabeled product."
The company said it was working with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and the supplier to determine the cause of the labeling error.
Meanwhile, Cookies United placed the blame on Stew Leonard's. "Stew Leonard's was notified by Cookies United in July of 2023 that this product now contains peanuts and all products shipped to them have been labeled accordingly," their lawyer said in a Jan. 23 statement. This product is sold under the Stew Leonard's brand and repackaged at their facilities. The incorrect label was created by, and applied to, their product by Stew Leonard's."
However, in its lawsuit, Baxendale's estate alleges Cookies United was also negligent and "strictly liable for the profound personal injuries and loses" sustained by the dancer, noting it had a "continuing duty" to "advise and warn purchasers and consumers, and all prior purchasers and consumers of all dangerous, characteristics, potentialities and/or defects discovered or discoverable subsequent to their initial packaging, marketing, distribution, and sale of the Florentine Cookie."
E! News has reached out for comment from reps for Cookies Limited and has not heard back. A rep for Stew Leonard's told E! News they cannot comment on pending litigation.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (21)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Define Your Eyes and Hide Dark Circles With This 52% Off Deal From It Cosmetics
- Coal Powered the Industrial Revolution. It Left Behind an ‘Absolutely Massive’ Environmental Catastrophe
- Trump trial date in classified documents case set for May 20, 2024
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- The cost of a dollar in Ukraine
- Bill Gates’ Vision for Next-Generation Nuclear Power in Wyoming Coal Country
- Get a Next-Level Clean and Save 58% On This Water Flosser With 4,200+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- One Last Climate Warning in New IPCC Report: ‘Now or Never’
Ranking
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Madonna Hospitalized in the ICU With “Serious Bacterial Infection”
- Honda recalls more than 330,000 vehicles due to a side-view mirror issue
- The demise of Credit Suisse
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Michigan clerk stripped of election duties after he was charged with acting as fake elector in 2020 election
- The Young Climate Diplomats Fighting to Save Their Countries
- Too many subscriptions, not enough organs
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Chemours’ Process for Curtailing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Could Produce Hazardous Air Pollutants in Louisville
Photo of Connecticut McDonald's $18 Big Mac meal sparks debate online
It takes a few dollars and 8 minutes to create a deepfake. And that's only the start
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Lewis Capaldi Taking Break From Touring Amid Journey With Tourette Syndrome
Amazon releases new cashless pay by palm technology that requires only a hand wave
Nations Most Impacted by Global Warming Kept Out of Key Climate Meetings in Glasgow