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Stew Leonard Sr. & Son Sued in Boating Death

Dairy store owner Stew Leonard Sr. is being sued by the wife of a former Westport home builder who died after being washed off Leonard's boat in the Caribbean last year. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in state Superior Court, Barbara Speranza claims her husband, Robert Speranza, 73, died as the result of the reckless and negligent behavior of Leonard and his son, Thomas Leonard, in operating the $4.6 million, 70-foot powerboat, "Stew's Special."

"Barbara Speranza was widowed by the Leonard defendants' irresponsibility and they need to account for that," said Richard T. Meehan who, along with Joel T. Faxon, represents her in the lawsuit.

Lawyers for the Leonards did not immediately return calls for comment.

According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 16, 2011, Robert Speranza was a passenger of the Leonards' boat near the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands when the reckless operation of the boat caused him to be tossed overboard.

In a statement later to the Westport News, Stew Leonard Sr. said: "As we got further out to sea, the waves turned from 2- to 3-foot to 5 to 6. As we were approaching Virgin Gorda, about one mile offshore, a rogue wave about 12 to 15 feet high suddenly came out of nowhere and hit the bow of the boat.

"I was behind the 10-foot-wide bulletproof windshield, which took the full force of the impact of the avalanche of water, and put my two arms up to protect my face," he said in the statement. "But both Bob (Speranza) and my son Tom were swept down to the back of the boat. Tom was able to grab onto a railing, but the torrent of water swept Bob overboard and he was left drifting unconscious in the water."

Leonard said the captain, Martijn Haasdit, dove in and was able to bring Speranza back to the boat. "And we immediately began CPR, which continued for the next 30 minutes until we reached the dock in Tortola."

Meehan said the Leonards took out the boat, even though they knew rough weather was on the way to the area. "The seas were building and it was not safe for the boat to be operating in those seas," he said.

Speranza's attorneys say the boat was operated at high speeds in dangerous seas near Tortola. A small craft advisory/warning had been issued, they said. "As the master of the boat, Stew Leonard made a reckless decision to go on that trip," Faxon told the Associated Press.

Stew Leonard had the boat designed to go as fast as 90 mph, Faxon said. "I'm quite certain the evidence is going to show the speeds were excessive," Faxon said.

A former NASA engineer, Speranza later went on to build many of the homes on Saugatuck Shores in Westport, Meehan said. He and his wife later moved to St. Maarten where they owned the Ocean Club resort.

Faxon said the Speranzas had been married for 53 years and were enjoying travel. "She's devastated by this whole thing," Faxon said. "They lived a tremendous life. They were just loving retirement."