A widow in West Sussex has filed a lawsuit seeking £200,000 in damages after her husband died following illness linked to listeria found in an artisan cheese purchased as a Valentine’s gift. The claim centres on painter Roger Parkes, who became seriously ill in February 2023 shortly after consuming a “Valentine box” of cheeses ordered by his wife, Carina Parkes. He died days after eating the cheese, according to reporting from multiple outlets. The lawsuit is directed at the makers of the artisan products, alleging responsibility for the contaminated cheese that led to his infection. The articles describe the gift as being purchased in the context of Valentine’s Day and consumed soon afterwards, with the timing of the illness and death forming the basis of the widow’s claim. The reporting states that the legal action seeks compensation for the circumstances surrounding Parkes’s death, with the amount claimed reported as £200,000. The case is ongoing, and details about liability and findings are not provided in the excerpts.