Panera Bread is facing a second wrongful death lawsuit over their caffeinated energy drink called “Charged Lemonade.” The popular fast-casual chain first made headlines over their alleged deadly energy drink — which reportedly has more caffeine than three cans of Red Bull — back in October, when a lawsuit claimed a student with a heart condition consumed the lemonade and died.
At the time, it was reported that 21-year-old Sarah Katz, who was a student at the University of Pennsylvania last year, had consumed the drink while possessing a heart condition called QT Syndrome Type 1.
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Those who suffer from the condition can experience fast and irregular heartbeats — which can be life-threatening, especially if things worsen and lead to another condition called Torsades de Pointes, which can cause the heart to stop beating altogether, resulting in sudden cardiac death.
In court documents filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, the young woman reportedly consumed a large “Charged Lemonade” and suffered a cardiac arrest hours later. Katz’s roommate, Victoria Rose Conroy, said she was “very vigilant” about her health and wouldn’t have bought the drink if she knew the amount of caffeine that’s in it.
According to the New York Post, Katz’s doctor had recommended that she avoid energy drinks as a precaution, altogether. However, on September 10, 2022, Katz purchased the drink without knowing anything about the amount of caffeine, believing it had electrolytes or was just a traditional lemonade. She ended up suffering a cardiac arrest while having dinner with her friends in her apartment building.
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It is reported that the “Charged Lemonade” drink contains approximately 390 milligrams of caffeine in addition to Guarana extract, a popular ingredient in many energy drinks and supplements, and in this case a stimulant equivalent to 30 teaspoons of sugar.
In the court documents filed by Katz’s family, Panera Bread was accused of failing to provide warning labels about the potentially dangerous effects on “blood pressure, heart rate, and brain function.” Instead, it is reportedly advertised as a “plant-based and clean” drink with the same amount of caffeine as their “Dark Roast” coffee.
At the time of the lawsuit being filed, Panera Bread released a statement and said, “We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family. At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
Since the October headlines, Panera Bread is back in the news and facing a second negligence and wrongful death lawsuit over another customer dying after consuming their “Charged Lemonade.” A Florida family is now claiming that the restaurant’s caffeinated lemonade drink led to 46-year-old Dennis Brown going into cardiac arrest.
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According to the complaint — which was filed on Monday (December 4) in Superior Court in Delaware (where Panera Bread Company is registered) — Brown had high blood pressure and didn’t drink energy drinks. And like Sarah Katz, Brown believed the drink was safe as it was not advertised clearly as an energy drink, and was also offered alongside non-caffeinated or less-caffeinated drinks.
Per the wrongful death lawsuit, on October 9, 2023, Brown consumed the drink three times during a visit to the Panera Bread Co. location in Fleming Island, Florida. On his walk home, he suffered cardiac arrest and died shortly after. Brown’s family claims over the course of two weeks in September and October, Brown ordered the drink at least seven times.
Similar to Katz’s lawsuit, Panera Bread is being accused of failing to provide adequate signage and warnings to customers. The suit said, “Defendants knew or should have known that the Panera Charged Lemonade, as designed and formulated, once consumed, could injure children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people sensitive to caffeine by causing catastrophic injuries and/or death.”
At the time of publishing this article, representatives for Panera Bread have not yet offered any comments on the second lawsuit.
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