“Kentucky Parents Sue Abbott Nutrition After Baby Dies from Contaminated Formula”
The parents of a Kentucky baby who died last fall after consuming bacteria-contaminated infant formula have filed a lawsuit against Abbott Nutrition, the company at the center of a 2022 formula crisis that left millions scrambling for baby food.
Kentucky
Willow Jade Dellaquila from Carrollton, Kentucky, was just 13 days old when she died on November 5, 2023. She was infected with Cronobacter sakazakii, a harmful bacterium linked to a can of Similac Total Comfort powdered formula used in her bottles, according to records.
“They told me she had a stroke on her right side of the brain,” said Cheyenne Ping, Willow’s 25-year-old mother. “It’s really heartbreaking. No one should have to go through this.”
A judge in Illinois has allowed Ping and the baby’s 26-year-old father, Christian Dellaquila, to proceed with their lawsuit against Abbott. The couple had previously sought to join a lawsuit with two other families whose children suffered severe brain damage from Cronobacter linked to a different Abbott formula, Similac Neosure. Mira White from Missouri and Ryker Brown from Illinois both survived their infections.
The judge has ruled that these cases should be filed separately, though consolidation may be considered later.
The original lawsuit, filed in December, targeted Abbott after its Sturgis, Michigan, plant was shut down for several months in 2022 due to reports of infant illnesses and deaths. FDA inspections revealed troubling conditions at the plant, including Cronobacter contamination, leading to recalls and a prolonged formula shortage in the U.S.
Willow’s formula, produced at the Sturgis plant, was purchased at a local Walmart more than a year after Abbott was placed under FDA oversight. The formula consumed by Ryker and Mira came from Abbott’s Casa Grande, Arizona, plant, which faced a separate whistleblower complaint about unsafe conditions.
Documents obtained by the AP show that an April 2023 FDA inspection at the Arizona plant found lapses in contamination controls, Cronobacter detections, and multiple complaints of infections in infants who consumed formula from that plant. Abbott officials maintain that no link was found between the illnesses and their formula.
The lawsuits accuse Abbott of negligence, fraud, and failure to warn parents about potential dangers associated with powdered formula, seeking at least $450,000 per family.
Abbott has denied any proven link between their products and the infections, stating that every can of Similac is labeled as not sterile and should not be fed to premature or immune-compromised infants unless supervised by a doctor.
In court, Abbott argued that the cases involve different times, states, and types of formula, suggesting no common connection.
Cronobacter bacteria are common in nature and can be difficult to track and detect, especially in formula, which may harbor clumped bacteria. Despite finding Cronobacter in open cans of Abbott formula in the homes of Willow and Mira, the same bacteria strains were not detected in sealed cans or at Abbott’s factories. Ryker’s infection remains unexplained.
The 2022 Abbott crisis has prompted criticism of the FDA’s oversight, leading to changes in how the agency handles contamination reports. However, for Willow’s family, these changes come too late. Ping, who received the formula through the WIC program, said she was unaware of the risks associated with powdered formula and hopes the lawsuit will raise awareness.
“Parents need to know that powdered formula is not sterile,” Ping said. “It just needs to be out there. It needs to be known.”
