The heartbroken family of a Lancashire ballet dancer, who tragically died from an allergic reaction to a cookie, is taking legal action against a US supermarket for 'gross negligence'. Orla Baxendale, originally from Helmshore in Rossendale but based in New York as a professional dancer, suffered anaphylactic shock and sadly passed away on January 11 after consuming vanilla Florentine cookies containing peanuts. The biscuits were bought from Stew Leonard's store in Connecticut and were later recalled due to the lack of a peanut allergy warning on the packaging.
After eating the biscuits made by Cookies United, a US baking company, 25-year-old Orla, who had a severe peanut allergy, became ill. Her devastated family, who described her as "truly one of a kind' and as a 'beautiful, radiant and brave soul", have filed a lawsuit with the Superior Court in Waterbury last week. Read more: Police storm rapist's home and find 'pale and malnourished' woman in sudden raid They allege that both the retailer and the manufacturer were "grossly negligent", according to The Mirror .
The lawsuit alleges that Orla was in the "prime of her life" and had "relied upon the manufacturer and seller to properly label the package sold to the general public", stating that the cookies contained "undeclared peanuts". It is also claimed that 11 employees at Stew Leonard's were informed via email about a change in ingredients, which included the addition of peanuts, in July 2023, six months before Ms Baxend.