Community Corner
Widow Suing Stew Leonard For Negligence in Boating Accident
The boating accident that took the life of 73-year-old Robert Speranza, formerly of Westport, occurred off Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
Barbara Speranza, widow of a former resident Robert Speranza, who died last August after falling overboard from a speedboat owned by Stew Leonard Sr. and his son Stew Leonard Jr., owners of the grocery store chain, is reportedly suing the pair for negligence in her husband’s death.
According to a report in the Westport News, citing documents filed in court, 73-year-old Robert Speranza was tossed around in the boat after a “rogue wave” hit it, causing “severe brain, head and spinal injuries,” and then was “ejected into the sea” whereupon he . The incident occurred off Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
Speranza is alleging the Leonards were reckless in their actions and thus are responsible for her husband’s death. She claims she could not get straight answers out of the pair as to what happened.
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The Leonard-designed speedboat, the “Stew's Special,” can go up to 90 mph, according to the Westport News report.
