Kentucky Parents Sue Infant Formula Maker After Baby's Death from Meningitis-Causing Bacteria

The parents of a Kentucky baby have filed a lawsuit against popular infant formula manufacturer Abbott Nutrition after its bacteria-tainted formula allegedly led to the death of their child last fall. 

Willow Jade Dellaquilla of Carollton, Kentucky, was 13 days old when she died last fall. Medical records obtained by AP News showed she was infected with cronobacter sakazakii, a germ that can cause meningitis in infants less than two months old. The germ was traced to a can of Similac Total Comfort powdered infant formula. 

"They told me she had a stroke on her right side of the brain," Cheyenne Ping, Willow's 25-year-old mother, told the outlet. "It's really heartbreaking. No one should have to go through this."

Ping and the baby's 26-year-old father, Christian Dellaquilla, previously sought to join a lawsuit with two other families who said their children also suffered brain damage caused by cronobacter traced to a different type of infant formula produced by Abbott Nutrition-specifically, Similac Neosure. The children of the other two families survived. 

However, a judge asked for the cases to be filed separately. It is unclear if the cases could be consolidated later. 

READ ALSO: Salmonella, Cronobacter Found To Be Top Microbial Hazards in Infant Formula: Study

Behind Willow's Death

Documents obtained by the outlet showed that Willow consumed Abbott powdered formula made at the company's Sturgis plant. The formula was sold at a local Walmart store more than a year after the FDA placed the company under a court-mandated oversight, per the Wall Street Journal. 

That investigation came a year after the plant was shut down in February 2022 due to illnesses caused by baby formula made in the area, which led to a nationwide shortage of powdered infant formula. 

Furthermore, the outlet reported that an April 2023 FDA inspection at Abbott's Arizona site revealed lapses in the company's contamination-prevention protocols as well as multiple detections of cronobacter.

It is important to note that while evidence of cronobacter was found in open cans of Abbott formula in Willow's and Mira's homes, the same strains were not found in sealed cans of powdered formula at the Abbott factories. 

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