A Seminole County mother who said raw milk from a Central Florida dairy made her family violently ill and cost her a pregnancy has quietly dropped her lawsuit, according to new court filings.
The case, which alleged that unpasteurized milk triggered a cascade of illness starting with the family’s toddler and ending with the loss of a fetus, was voluntarily dismissed yesterday. The court record does not say why the lawsuit was pulled or whether any private agreement was reached.
According to ClickOrlando, the plaintiff is Rachel Maddox of Seminole County. Her suit named Keely Farms Dairy and Wild Hare Natural Market in Longwood as defendants. The station reported that Maddox bought the raw milk at the Longwood store in June 2025 and that the bottle came from Keely Farms in New Smyrna Beach. WKMG noted Maddox told reporters she contracted Campylobacter while caring for her sick child.
What the Complaint Lays Out
The civil complaint describes a weeks-long ordeal of emergency-room visits, repeat hospitalizations and mounting lab results. It details how the family’s toddler was repeatedly taken to the hospital, with tests showing both E. coli and Campylobacter, and how Maddox later became seriously ill herself.
According to the filing, Maddox questioned a label on the bottle that read for consumption by animals and was told that language was a technical requirement for selling what staff described as “farm milk.” The complaint says she was eventually hospitalized with septic shock and underwent additional testing, and that an autopsy placed the fetus at about 19 to 20 weeks’ gestation. The detailed allegations and medical timeline are contained in the document posted on Scribd.
State Health Investigators Linked Keely Farms
An outbreak of E. coli and Campylobacter was traced to Keely Farms Dairy, with at least 21 illnesses reported since Jan. 24, 2025, including six children under age 10 and seven hospitalizations, according to AP News.
In a separate update, the Florida Department of Health said improper sanitation appeared to be the likely cause of the contamination and urged consumers to be cautious about raw dairy products.
National coverage reported that Keely Farms said it was "blindsided" when it was named in the investigation and that the dairy maintains its milk is labeled not for human consumption. AP News covered both the outbreak and the farm’s public response.
Why the Suit Ended
New filings show Maddox voluntarily dismissed the case, a move first reported by ClickOrlando. The notice of dismissal does not explain the decision and does not say whether there was any settlement or other resolution outside of court. Attorneys for the parties did not provide comment in the coverage tied to the filings.
Raw Milk Rules and Risks
Under Florida law, unpasteurized milk cannot be sold for people to drink. Retail raw milk has to be labeled not for human consumption and marketed as animal feed, a regulatory setup that state health officials have repeatedly referenced in public warnings.
The Florida Department of Health and federal agencies say raw milk can carry pathogens such as Campylobacter, E. coli and Listeria, and that pregnant people and young children face higher risks of severe illness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration stresses that pasteurization prevents these infections and documents decades of outbreaks and hospitalizations linked to raw milk in its guidance. The agency’s warnings are detailed on the FDA website.
Farm Response and Community Fallout
Keely Farms has said it was not contacted by investigators before being named in the outbreak and has posted statements and test results on its website and social media. Local reports noted the farm set up a GoFundMe and publicly defended its labeling and sales practices as consistent with Florida rules.
WFTV covered the farm’s response, and the producer’s own site, Keely Farms Dairy, prominently states that its raw milk is sold as “feed for calves” and labeled “not for human consumption.”
What Remains Unresolved
The voluntary dismissal closes out this civil case but leaves broader questions hanging over how unpasteurized milk is sold in local markets and how quickly regulators can trace and contain contamination when things go wrong.
The court filing notes that the toddler’s medical treatment is ongoing, and coverage says state health officials intend to keep working with the dairy on sanitation issues. For now, the most detailed public accounts of what happened are in the complaint itself and in state health records. Those are available through Scribd and the update from the Florida Department of Health.
