Civil complaint filed against Northampton pizza shop where woman with dairy allergy ate before death

Boston Globe

4 days ago

She ordered a 'Sticky Ribs' appetizer and, for her main course, a 'Braised Short Rib & Grilled Red Onion Pizza,' which she requested be prepared with 'vegan/lactose free mozzarella,' the complaint said.
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Soon after consuming the food, the complaint said, Hedin began 'experiencing symptoms of an allergic reaction' and 'suffered an anaphylactic reaction, resulting in a global hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.'
Hedin died five days later, and since her death, 'the pizza has been stored in a freezer maintained by the Northampton Police Department labeled as 'Hedin's Food from HighBrow,'' the complaint said.
Authorities have indicated they'll only release the pizza to be tested for dairy 'by agreement of the parties or by ... court order.'
The parties have clashed over testing logistics, so Eric Hedin last month filed his civil 'complaint for discovery,' seeking a judge's order 'permitting Plaintiff to obtain evidence from the Northampton Police Department and to conduct testing of the pizza in accordance with the most recent protocol provided to Defendant.'
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The restaurant on Tuesday referred questions to its lawyer, who didn't immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
According to Eric Hedin's civil complaint, in December 2024, his lawyers proposed 'using Trelfa Labs, Inc. in Massachusetts, the only in-state facility equipped to conduct [the necessary] testing.'
The following month, the complaint said, lawyers for the pizza shop responded, 'requesting a different, more complex quantitative test,' but 'no lab in Massachusetts performs these quantitative tests.'
The complaint said Eric Hedin's team in February proposed a different lab for the testing, at the University of Nebraska headed by Dr. Joseph Baumert.
But lawyers for the pizza shop have since 'insisted their expert be present' for the testing, something Baumert does not allow due to his lab's 'strict confidentiality policies,' the filing said. It said the lab can 'thoroughly photograph the pizza upon receipt and document each stage of testing.'
To date, the complaint said, the business's counsel 'has not agreed to the testing and has offered no alternative solutions.'
With the statute of limitations for filing suit approaching in a matter of months, the complaint said, 'Plaintiff is left with no alternative but to seek judicial intervention.'
The complaint said Eric Hedin is seeking a judicial order allowing his lawyers to obtain the pizza from law enforcement to facilitate the testing at Baumert's lab.
The civil complaint at this point is not seeking financial damages; just an order to get the testing moving.
'Plaintiff agrees to provide copies to Defendant of all materials received from Dr. Baumert relating to the testing,' the complaint said.
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Kierstin Hedin was born in Florida and proved to be 'a child of the tropics, swimming by age 2, fascinated by lizards and fish, and the flocks of wild parrots that filled the trees in her backyard,' said
She grew up in Keene and 'Klived life with a joyful heart and a spirit that was pure sunshine,' the obituary said. 'She came into this world a happy baby and grew to fill her family's home with laughter and fun.'
The lawsuit was
Travis Andersen can be reached at