A woman has sued a Florida dairy farm state officials linked to an outbreak of infections from consuming raw milk, claiming she lost her unborn child while she was caring for her toddler who got sick from the milk.
Rachel Maddox claimed that she didn’t know about the risks involved with raw milk and that her child became seriously sick after having consumed the product, according to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Seminole County.
Now she’s suing Keely Farms Dairy, a farm in New Smyrna Beach, which the state Health Department said this month was linked to at least 21 cases of campylobacter and shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections since January.
Those cases included six children under age 10 and seven hospitalizations.
State health officials warned at the time about the potential risks of drinking raw milk — milk that is not pasteurized, meaning it has not gone through a heat-treating process that destroys bacteria.
At the time, the state Health Department said it was working with the farm to ensure “effective sanitation practices are implemented consistently across every batch.”
In the suit, Maddox claimed she purchased Keely Farms Dairy raw milk at Wild Hare Natural Market in June when she was nearly 20 weeks pregnant.
Keely Farms Dairy, Wild Hare Natural Market and attorneys for Maddox did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
She purchased the milk for her husband, who grew up in Eastern Europe and had expressed “an appreciation for farm fresh milk,” the complaint said.
“Unaware of any potential dangers, she purchased it,” the complaint said.
The milk did have a label — in accordance with Florida law — that said it was for animal, not human, consumption.
She inquired about the label but was told it was “a technical requirement to sell ‘farm milk’” and she did not question it further, the complaint said. The complaint does not specify whom Maddox asked about the label.
Maddox and her husband began to provide the milk to their toddler, identified by the initials L.U., but after having consumed the raw milk on June 8, the lawsuit alleges, L.U. began to experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, chills and dehydration.
They took the toddler to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children on June 9 “for the first of what would be three emergency room visits and hospitalizations in the next several weeks,” the suit said.
The child was hospitalized for severe gastroenteritis from June 9 to 12. During that visit, L.U. was found to have both E. coli and campylobacter.
Drinking raw milk or its products can expose people to germs, including campylobacter, Escherichia coli (E. coli), listeria, salmonella and other types of bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Campylobacter can make people ill with diarrhea. STEC is a type of E. coli that can cause bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramps and vomiting, according to the CDC. STEC bacteria in the most severe form can also result in hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure and is particularly concerning for children, the Health Department said.
L.U. was discharged on June 12 but returned to the hospital on the 14th because of bloody stool. He underwent surgery for intussusception — a type of bowel blockage — and was treated for possible hemolytic uremic syndrome. He was discharged on the 16th, according to the suit.
He returned the following day because of bloody stool and severe abdominal pain, and he remained there for two days.
“L.U.’s medical treatment continues to this day,” the complaint said.
Maddox said that she did not drink the raw milk herself but that by June 13 she also sought medical treatment for diarrhea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain and chills. Testing found she tested positive for E. coli and campylobacter, and she was told she contracted it while she was caring for her toddler, the complaint said.
Maddox was hospitalized for two days because she was pregnant and dehydrated, the complaint said.
On June 18, Maddox’s fetus died and she was readmitted to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with sepsis. The complaint said an autopsy placed the age of her fetus at between 19 and 20 weeks.
She was discharged but later readmitted to another hospital when “her condition deteriorated,” the complaint said.
On June 30, the complaint says, she had a lumbar puncture and was screened for the onset of Guillain-Barré syndrome — a rare condition that causes nerve damage and is most commonly caused by campylobacter infection, according to the CDC.
Her medical treatment also continues to this day, the filing said.
The suit accuses Keely Farms Dairy LLC and Wild Hare Natural Market of strict liability, negligence and breach of implied warranties.
It alleges that the milk was defective at time of purchase because it contained E. coli and campylobacter and was therefore “unreasonably dangerous.”
It accuses the farm of failing to properly test its products, failing to adequately monitor sanitary conditions and failing to warn the public about contamination.
As a result, it says, Maddox suffered pain, suffering, mental anguish, disability, medical and pharmaceutical expenses, and she lost wages as a result of the incident.
The suit seeks compensatory damages and relief.
