Laurel Francoeur | Episode 104

Food allergy negligence can be a precarious, risky, and costly mistake for the hospitality industry.  A young girl’s family is suing Panera Bread for negligence in regards to her food allergy, and a Massachusetts judge ruled the lawsuit may go to trial.  This week’s guest is Laurel Francoeur, the litigator representing the family.  Laurel, named a “Top Woman of Law” in Massachusetts in 2019, is also an advocate, author, speaker, and food allergy mom. Laurel shares her son’s food allergy diagnosis, the struggles that followed, and how it led to her advocacy work. She talks about how a misjudgment by her son’s school changed the trajectory of her professional journey.  She drafted legislation in Massachusetts to allow easy access to epinephrine for students in classrooms and has testified at the state and federal levels about food allergy issues.  She is a national speaker on the topic of food allergy and the law and is the author of the books “How To Advocate for Your Food Allergic Child” and “Flying with Food Allergies: What You Need to Know.” She is also co-author of the “Preschool Food Allergy Handbook.” She is the proud creator of the blog “Allergy Law Project,” which has created a space online where allergic individuals could find accurate information about the intersection of law and food allergies.