SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A New Smyrna Beach dairy farm was named in a lawsuit filed by a woman who claims she lost her fetus after falling ill while caring for her toddler, who became sick after drinking raw, unpasteurized milk, News4JAX’s news partner News 6 reported.
Rachel Maddox is suing Keely Farms Dairy, which Florida health officials last week tied to at least 21 cases of E. coli and Campylobacter bacteria sickness from raw milk. Six of the 21 patients were children under the age of 10, seven patients were hospitalized and at least two cases have resulted in severe complications, the warning states.
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“I became very ill and I mean the sickest I’ve ever been in my life,” Maddox told News 6’s Laverne McGee Thursday. “I came really close to dying and our (unborn) son did die. The doctors told me that I was lucky to be alive.”
The lawsuit — which also names the market where Maddox allegedly bought the milk — was filed Wednesday in Seminole County and claims Keely Farms shipped milk that contained Campylobacter and E. coli.
Maddox was allegedly unaware of any potential dangers while purchasing the milk in June from an organic, natural food store, according to the lawsuit. When she inquired about a label on the package that “said something to the effect (of) ‘for consumption by animals,’” she was allegedly told “that was a technical requirement to sell ‘farm milk,’” the lawsuit claims.
She told News 6 she had bought the milk off and on for months, and while she never drank it, her toddler and other family members had before with no issue.
Then, Maddox’s toddler consumed the milk on June 8 and soon after experienced “diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, chills, and resultant dehydration,” prompting Maddox to take the child to a hospital the next day in what the lawsuit calls “the first of what would be three emergency room visits and hospitalizations in the next several weeks,” the lawsuit states.
Here’s an excerpt from the lawsuit:
“The first hospitalization was from June 9-12, due to severe gastroenteritis. During this hospitalization, the toddler was found to have both E. coli and campylobacter. He was discharged to his parents on June 12, but bloody stools and a fear of hemolytic uremic syndrome forced them to return the toddler to the hospital on June 14.
The toddler underwent surgery for intussusception and was treated for possible HUS. He was again discharged on June 16.
On June 17, bloody stools and severe abdominal pain forced a return to the hospital, where the toddler remained for two more days.
The toddler’s medical treatment continues to this day."
By June 13, Maddox sought medical treatment for “ongoing, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and chills that led to septic shock and severe dehydration,” the lawsuit states.
Tests returned positive for Campylobacter, which she was told she contracted while caring for her toddler, according to the lawsuit.
“I contracted the bacteria from cleaning up the diarrhea and vomiting,” Maddox said. “As a mom, you get a lot of stuff on you when your kid is sick, and I became ill by contracting the bacteria that way.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes Campylobacter bacteria as a common cause of diarrheal illness that can spread through touch or consumption.
Maddox’s 20-week-old fetus died on June 18 and she was readmitted to the hospital with sepsis, going on to leave and return to hospitals multiple times in the coming days for ongoing medical treatment, the lawsuit states.
Maddox’s filing demands a jury trial on compensatory damages for permanent physical and mental injuries incurred “as a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ conduct,” (sic) the lawsuit states.
News 6 community correspondent Molly Reed spoke with Keely Farms Dairy last week. Its representatives did not want to comment beyond stating their milk is not for human consumption.
The filing brings up Florida law stating that while it’s not illegal to drink raw milk, it is illegal to sell any such thing besides Grade A pasteurized milk and milk products for human consumption, with very few exceptions.
A visit to Keely Farms’ Facebook page currently shows a description stating, in part, “Raw milk is sold ‘Not for human consumption’ and as ‘animal feed.’” A post made on the Facebook page Wednesday includes images depicting what Keely Farms described as “Last week’s milk test results from 2 labs” (sic).
In a post on X that linked to the state’s Aug. 4 warning linking Keely Farms to the aforementioned 21 illnesses, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo wrote Tuesday, “Floridians have the freedom to make informed health choices. I support the decision to consume raw milk when sought for potential health benefits and protective factors. Be aware of your source and know the risks.”
Maddox has hired Ron Simon & Associates, which describes itself as a national food poisoning law firm, as well as Newsome Law.
News 6 has reached out to the dairy farm and to the listed owner of the market. We have yet to hear back.
This story will potentially be updated with new information as we receive it.
