Lawsuit Filed in Case of Dancer With Peanut Allergy Who Died After Eating Mislabeled Cookie

Lawsuit Filed in Case of Dancer With Peanut Allergy Who Died After Eating Mislabeled Cookie
Stew Leonard's store in Newington, Conn., on Jan. 25, 2024. Stephen Dunn/AP Photo
The Associated Press
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WATERBURY, Conn.—The estate of a young dancer who died after eating a mislabeled cookie containing peanuts has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming the failure to properly label the package was grossly negligent.

Órla Ruth Baxendale, 25, died Jan. 11 after eating a Florentine cookie sold by grocery retailer Stew Leonard’s and suffering an anaphylactic reaction, according to the lawsuit. Baxendale, who had a severe peanut allergy, had moved to New York City from England to pursue a career as a dancer and was in “the prime of her life,” according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Superior Court in Waterbury.