Legal action initiated in the matter of dancer with peanut allergy who passed away following consumption of incorrectly labeled cookie

The tragic death of 25-year-old dancer Órla Ruth Baxendale has sparked a wrongful death lawsuit against grocery retailer Stew Leonard’s and wholesaler Cookies United. Baxendale, who had a severe peanut allergy, died after consuming a mislabeled Florentine cookie and suffering a fatal anaphylactic reaction.

According to the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, Baxendale was in the prime of her life, having moved from England to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer. The batch of holiday cookies sold at Stew Leonard’s stores in Danbury and Newington were later recalled after it was discovered that they contained peanuts, despite not being properly labeled as such.

The lawsuit alleges that the failure to properly label the cookie package was grossly negligent and a violation of the law. Both Stew Leonard’s and Cookies United, along with several Stew Leonard’s employees, are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Stew Leonard’s has stated that the supplier changed the recipe from soy nuts to peanuts without notifying their chief safety officer, while Cookies United claims they had informed Stew Leonard’s about the change in ingredients last July.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages for the tragic loss of Baxendale’s life. A spokesperson for Stew Leonard’s declined to comment on the pending litigation, while the general counsel for Cookies United did not respond to requests for comment.

This heartbreaking case serves as a reminder of the importance of proper food labeling and the potentially deadly consequences of allergen mislabeling.