The parents of Sarah Katz, 21, a University of Pennsylvania student, have filed a lawsuit against Panera Bread after their daughter died following the consumption of its caffeinated lemonade drink.
The legal complaint was filed Monday morning in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and said the company’s drink contains more caffeine than cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined. It also accuses Panera of failing to “appropriately warn consumers about its ingredients.”
Katz had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 and avoided energy drinks at the recommendation of her doctors, according to the filing.
“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,” a spokesperson from Panera said.
Katz bought a Charged Lemonade from a Panera Bread restaurant in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, 2022. She went into cardiac arrest hours later.
“She was very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe,” her roommate and close friend, Victoria Rose Conroy, said. “I guarantee if Sarah had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a 10-foot pole.”
The Charged Lemonade was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” and was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage, NBC News reported.
The drink contained more caffeine than the restaurant’s dark roast coffee, according to the wrongful death lawsuit, which added that at 390 milligrams, the large Charged Lemonade has more caffeine than any size of Panera’s dark roast coffee. The claim was proven by the nutrition facts listed on the company’s website.
It also has guarana extract, which is a stimulant, and nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar, the complaint states, adding that the amount is higher than the caffeine found in standard cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined.
Katz had purchased a 30 fluid ounce large cup, the attorney representing her family said.
“I think everyone thinks lemonade is safe. And really, this isn’t lemonade at all. It’s an energy drink that has lemon flavor,” said Elizabeth Crawford, a partner at the Philadelphia-based law firm Kline & Specter, PC. “It should have an adequate warning.”
The lawsuit alleges the Charged Lemonade is “defective in design because it is a dangerous energy drink.”
“These unregulated beverages include no warning of any potentially dangerous effects, even the life-threatening effects on blood pressure, heart rate, and/or brain function,” it says.
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