Family of dancer who died from eating mislabeled Stew Leonard's cookie sues store
Cookie Label Error Kills Dancer: Store Sued?
The family of Órla Baxendale, a 25-year-old professional dancer who died from an allergic reaction to a mislabeled cookie from Stew Leonard's, is suing the grocery chain and the cookie manufacturer, Cookies United LLC, for wrongful death. Baxendale suffered anaphylactic shock after consuming a Vanilla Florentine cookie that was not labeled to indicate it contained peanuts, despite the manufacturer's notice of the ingredient change.
The lawsuit alleges negligence by Stew Leonard's and its employees for failing to update the cookie's label, despite receiving communication about the ingredient change. The family seeks damages exceeding $15,000 and punitive damages, citing "gross negligence and reckless indifference" by the involved parties. The incident has prompted calls for improved food allergy awareness and labeling practices.
Can you describe Órla Baxendale’s background and her achievements before her tragic death?
Órla Ruth Baxendale was a talented and multifaceted dancer originally from Manchester, England. She demonstrated a passion for dance from a very young age, initially training and competing in Irish Dancing. Her dedication to dance led her to study at prestigious institutions such as the Northern Ballet Academy and Elmhurst Ballet School, the latter from which she graduated in 2018. Following her graduation, Órla moved to New York City to further her dance education as a scholarship student at The Ailey School.
Her professional career was diverse and vibrant. Órla performed across the United Kingdom and the United States in various styles including Contemporary Dance, Classical Ballet, and Musical Theatre, as well as in Film/TV and Live Stage Productions1. She worked with notable entities such as New York Fashion Week, H&M, Coach, and Commodity Fragrances1. Órla was also involved in significant dance productions like the World Premiere of Romeo and Juliet by Sir Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Company and performed at Lincoln Center in the show "English with an Accent".
In June 2023, she joined MOMIX Dance Company, indicating her rising profile in the dance community. Her ability to light up any room and her remarkable talent left a lasting impression on everyone she worked with, ensuring that her legacy as both an artist and an individual would be fondly remembered1.
What evidence does the lawsuit present to claim that the mislabeling was part of a broader issue of negligence at Stew Leonard’s?
The lawsuit against Stew Leonard's presents several pieces of evidence to support the claim that the mislabeling of the Vanilla Florentine cookie, which led to Órla Baxendale's death, was part of a broader issue of negligence at the grocery chain5.
Firstly, the lawsuit points out that Stew Leonard’s had been notified by the manufacturer, Cookies United LLC, through a communication on July 20, 2023, that the cookie recipe had been changed to include peanuts. Despite this notification, at least 11 employees at Stew Leonard’s were aware of the change, but the store failed to update the ingredient labels on the cookie packages to reflect the new allergen risk.
Secondly, the lawsuit highlights that following Baxendale’s death, Stew Leonard’s recalled several other products for incorrect or incomplete labeling. This action is cited as further evidence of systemic issues with the grocery chain’s labeling practices, suggesting a pattern of negligence and unreliable systems5.
Additionally, Stew Leonard Jr., the president and CEO of the grocery chain, publicly admitted the company’s culpability in Baxendale’s death in a video statement, which the lawsuit uses to underscore the acknowledgment of fault by the grocery chain itself.
These elements collectively aim to demonstrate that the mislabeling incident was not an isolated event, but rather indicative of broader, systemic problems within Stew Leonard’s operations regarding product labeling and safety.