NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Stew Leonard's will be sued following the death of a 25-year-old professional dancer with a peanut allergy.
Attorney Marijo Adimey told PIX11 News she would prove in court that Stew Leonard's had been warned six months ago that the Florentine cookies contained eggs and peanuts but failed to label them properly.
"Unfortunately, the supplier changed the recipe and went from soy nuts to peanuts, and our chief safety officer here at Stew Leonard's was never notified," in a video statement, Stew Leonard Junior said.
However, the Long Island-based cookie supplier, Cookies United, said they sent eleven emails about the changes back in July of 2023. They also provided PIX11 News pictures of labels they said were on their original packaging.
Those labels list eggs and peanuts as ingredients.
Orla Baxendale died on Jan. 11 after eating one of the cookies while on a dance trip to Connecticut. Adimey said two friends who were with her tried to save her life with an EpiPen, but it didn't work. Originally from Manchester, Baxendale had come to New York on scholarship to dance at the Alvin Alley School. She also recently worked for The Ride Experience as a dancer.
"Orla's death stunned all of us; it stunned me; it took several hours of processing. I try personally not to be angry, but I am because it is a remarkable way for someone to be taken from us, for someone so young to be taken from the world," her coworker Lawrence Neals told PIX11 News.
"She stood out immediately; she was a wonderful personality, wonderful energy about her, a phenomenal dancer," Neals said of Baxendale.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Food, Standards and Product Safety Division (DCP) issued an update Thursday expanding the recall and said:
"Warning the public that Florentine Cookies sold at Stew Leonard’s grocery stores in Danbury and Newington also contained eggs, which did not appear on the label."
English (US) ·