SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – After a woman took a Central Florida dairy farm to court last year due to losing her baby, the case has now been dismissed, according to court records obtained by News 6.
In the lawsuit, the mother — identified as Rachel Maddox of Seminole County — said that she had purchased raw milk from a store in Longwood back in June 2025 while she was still pregnant. The milk itself stemmed from Keely Farms Dairy in New Smyrna Beach.
“She inquired about the raw milk’s label, which said something to the effect ‘for consumption by animals,’ and was told that was a technical requirement to sell ‘farm milk,’” the lawsuit reads. “She did not question further.”
However, the lawsuit further states that she and her husband gave the raw milk to their toddler, who began experiencing diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and more. He was soon hospitalized due to his condition.
[BELOW: News 6 speaks to Florida mother suing dairy farm over raw milk illness]
Tests soon came back positive for Campylobacter — a type of bacteria that commonly causes foodborne illness — which Maddox was told she contracted while caring for her toddler.
“I contracted the bacteria from cleaning up the diarrhea and vomiting,” Maddox told News 6 last year. “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.”
Soon after, Maddox’s fetus died, and she was diagnosed with sepsis, court records show.
“I became very ill — and I mean the sickest I’ve ever been in my life,” Maddox said. “I came really close to dying, and our (unborn) son did die. The doctors told me that I was lucky to be alive.”
[BELOW: Volusia County farm tied to raw milk E. Coli outbreak]
While investigating the case, News 6 discovered that Keely Farms Dairy had been tied to at least 21 cases of E. coli and Campylobacter 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 resulted in severe complications, state officials warned.
In the original lawsuit, Maddox accused the dairy farm of negligence and liability for what happened.
However, new court records filed on Friday afternoon reveal that she has voluntarily dismissed the case. No information was provided about why that was the case.
You can read the original lawsuit below: