Channel 2 Action News has learned that Panera Bread Company has settled with the family of a college student who died after drinking the company’s “charged lemonade.”
Channel 2 Action News first reported that Sarah Katz died after drinking the lemonade last year. She suffered from a heart condition and usually avoided caffeine.
According to the lawsuit, Charged Lemonade has anywhere from 260 to 390 milligrams of caffeine, exceeding the combined caffeine content of Red Bull (114 milligrams) and Monster Energy Drink (160 milligrams).
Katz had a pre-existing heart condition called Long QT Type 1 Syndrome, which she was diagnosed with at age 5. People with the condition can experience life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms after very intense physical exercise.
Lawyers for the family argue that Katz didn’t know the drink was caffeinated and said the drink was offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated drinks. The drink was not advertised as an “energy drink,” according to the lawsuit.
The drink had gone viral on social media due to its high levels of caffeine.
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The company eventually put a warning label on the product but has since phased it out from their menu altogether.
In December, Channel 2 Action News confirmed the death of another person tied to the lemonade. In a lawsuit from that family, it alleges Panera’s charged lemonades caused Dennis Brown, 46, to go into cardiac arrest after he left the restaurant on Oct. 9.
According to the lawsuit, Brown had charged lemonades with his early dinner at the Panera near his job in Florida and died while he was walking home.
Brown’s family says he avoided energy drinks because he had high blood pressure.
The lawsuit alleges Brown had been drinking the charged lemonades for six days and was a member of Panera’s sip club where you can order unlimited drinks.
In a statement about Brown’s death, Panera said they expressed their sympathy over his death and based on their investigations, “we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the company’s products. We view this lawsuit which was filed by the same law firm as a previous claim to be equally without merit. Panera stands firmly by the safety of our products.”
The attorney for the Katz family could not release any more information other than a settlement had been reached.
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