Family Of NY Woman Who Died After Eating Mislabeled Cookie At Stew Leonard's Files Lawsuit

The family of a 25-year-old woman who died in Connecticut has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stew Leonard’s and an independent manufacturer for their alleged negligence in not properly labeling a cookie made with peanuts.

Órla Baxendale, age 25, died from anaphylactic shock due to a peanut allergy after she ate a mislabeled Florentine cookie.
Photo Credit: *Instagram via orla_baxendale/Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Food, Standards and Product Safety Division (DCP)*

Sophie Grieser

05/24/2024 6:20 p.m.

Órla Baxendale, a dancer from New York City, died in Connecticut as a result of "gross negligence and reckless indifference" after she ate a mislabeled cookie sold by grocery chain Stew Leonard’s, according to a lawsuit reported by ABC News.

Earlier Report: ID Released For 25-Year-Old Woman Who Died After Eating Mislabeled Cookie Sold In Danbury

The 25-year-old United Kingdom native had moved to NYC to pursue a career as a dancer.

While at a house rented for her dance troupe in Connecticut in January 2024, she ate a Florentine cookie, which included peanuts – though it didn’t say so on the package.

Baxendale, who had a severe peanut allergy, used an EpiPen after eating the cookie and was taken to an area hospital, Howard Hershenhorn, a senior partner at the law firm of Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, told ABC.

She died of complications of anaphylaxis.

The cookies in question were manufactured by Long Island's Cookies United, located in Islip, and were sold at and labeled with Stew Leonard’s name in Danbury and Newington. Cookies United was also named in the lawsuit.

Stew Leonard’s defended its label process in a video statement released shortly after Baxendale’s death, claiming it was never notified of the ingredient change. Cookies United stated it had sent several emails alerting the grocery chain.

According to the lawsuit, Cookies United failed to properly alert Stew Leonard’s that the cookies contained peanuts; it also claims that Stew Leonard’s ignored the ingredient change notice that it did receive.

"They had all those emails all that time in advance and did nothing about it," Hershenhorn told ABC.

Furthermore, the lawsuit called Stew Leonard’s systems of maintaining and updating labels "broken, unreliable, inherently dangerous, undependable, untrustworthy, erratic, and deplorable."

Following Baxendale’s death, the store recalled the seasonal Florentine cookies due to undeclared peanuts and eggs.

In a statement released by her legal representatives, Baxendale was remembered as a "talented" dancer whose "sudden death was a personal tragedy for her family and friends and a significant loss to the artistic community."

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