The family of the professional dancer who died after eating a mislabeled Stew Leonard’s cookie is suing the popular grocery chain, the cookie manufacturer and employees for wrongful death. Órla Baxendale, 25, was rehearsing at a dance studio in Connecticut on Jan. 11 when she went into anaphylactic shock from a severe allergic reaction to a Vanilla Florentine cookie sold by the chain that contained peanuts.
The supermarket failed to note the allergen risk on the package’s label, her family says. The tragic incident was the result of “gross negligence and reckless indifference to the rights of others and an intentional wanton violation of those rights” by professionals who failed to update the ingredient label to note that the cookie now contains peanuts, Baxendale’s mother alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday. Baxendale’s family is seeking damages in excess of $15,000 in addition to monetary and punitive damages determined by the court, according to the filing viewed by The Post.
The lawsuit accuses the chain, the Connecticut branch where the specific box of cookies was purchased and several employees of negligence on the grounds that they ignored a July 20, 2023, missive from the manufacturer Cookies United LLC that stated the Florentine Cookies now contain peanuts. At least 11 Stew Leonard’s workers received the email, but the supermarket failed to update the ingredient labels to note the new allergen risk, the suit says. The incorrect label resulted in Baxen.
