A judge has ruled that Stew Leonard’s employees are not liable for the tragic death of Órla Baxendale, a 25-year-old New York dancer who died in January 2024 after suffering a fatal allergic reaction. The reaction was triggered by Vanilla Florentine Cookies purchased at the grocery store’s Danbury location. This decision, reaffirmed by the court earlier this month, has narrowed the scope of a lawsuit filed by Baxendale’s family.
The lawsuit was initially filed in May 2024 against multiple parties, including Stew Leonard’s Danbury, LLC, Stew Leonard’s Holdings, LLC, and Cookies United LLC, the wholesaler that produced the cookies, and it also named specific supermarket employees. The core allegation revolved around the claim that the product label for Stew Leonard’s Vanilla Florentine Cookies failed to declare the presence of peanuts.
The cookies in question were produced by Cookies United, a wholesaler based in Islip, New York, and subsequently labeled with the Stew Leonard’s brand name for sale exclusively at the chain’s Danbury and Newington stores. A critical point in the lawsuit was the allegation that Cookies United had sent an email to Stew Leonard’s employees in July 2023. This email supposedly indicated that the cookies contained peanuts and asserted that all shipped products had been labeled accordingly, suggesting the store was on notice about the allergen.
The complaint filed by Baxendale’s family asserted that the defendants “exhibited gross negligence and reckless indifference by failing to properly label the package of cookies, causing Ms. Baxendale’s death.” This language formed the basis for seeking accountability from both the corporate entities and the named individuals, including the executives and store personnel involved in the product’s handling and sale.
Despite the severity of the allegations, a judge first made a ruling in August 2025 finding the individual employees, including Stew Leonard, Jr, were not liable for Baxendale’s death. This decision was based on an interpretation of the Connecticut Product Liability Act (CPLA), which governs such claims within the state.
Baxendale’s parents subsequently sought a reargument on the August decision. Their request was rooted in the idea that the court had “misapprehended the allegations against the employees” because they claimed the collective term “Stew Leonard’s Defendants” had not been clearly defined in the initial proceedings. They hoped to reinstate the claims against the individuals.
Ultimately, the court stood by its initial findings. The ruling on Sept. 11 reaffirmed the court’s decision in August, officially declaring that the individual employees were not liable under the CPLA. While this chapter of the case is closed for the named individuals, the ruling explicitly states that the corporate entities—Stew Leonard’s corporation and Cookies United—could still be deemed liable for the death of the young dancer.
Ms. Baxendale’s death and many others could have been avoided if the US had effective allergen labeling regulations in place, which it still does not. Please add your name to this petition to the FDA demanding four simple changes that will prevent many other needless tragedies.
