A central Florida woman is suing a dairy farm and grocery store for allegedly selling raw milk that hospitalized both her and her toddler and also led to the death of her unborn baby.
Rachel Maddox of Seminole County said in the lawsuit filed Aug. 13 that she bought raw milk sourced from Keely Farms Dairy at the Wild Hare Natural Market in Longwood, Florida in early June. The lawsuit alleged that her toddler contracted disease-causing bacteria after consuming raw, unpasteurized milk and that she fell ill from her toddler while pregnant.
The complaint states that Maddox purchased the raw milk for her husband after he expressed appreciation for it, as he had grown up in Eastern Europe drinking farm-fresh milk. After purchasing the raw milk, she inquired about the label, which “said something to the effect ‘for consumption by animals’ and was told it was a technical requirement to sell ‘farm milk.’”
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Maddox and her husband, who is not named in the complaint, fed the milk to their toddler, who on June 8 “began to experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, chills and resultant dehydration,” according to the complaint. The following day, the toddler was hospitalized and tested positive for both E. coli and Campylobacter.
