(PatriotWise.com) — Panera Bread is facing a lawsuit filed by the parents of a 21-year-old with a heart condition who died only hours after drinking the company’s Charged Lemonade energy drink, NBC News reported.
In a complaint filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Monday morning, the family of University of Pennsylvania student Sarah Katz is claiming that Panera’s energy drink is “dangerous” and the company did not adequately warn customers about the ingredients.
Katz, who worked as a research assistant at a children’s hospital, suffered from the heart condition QT syndrome type 1 and had been instructed by her doctors to avoid energy drinks.
But on September 10, 2022, Katz bought a Charged Lemonade from a Philadelphia Panera Bread location and, within a matter of hours, went into cardiac arrest and died.
According to the complaint, a single cup of Charged Lemonade contains 390 milligrams of caffeine, which is more than a can of Monster and a can of Red Bull combined.
Katz’s college roommate Victoria Rose Conroy attested that Sarah was “vigilant” about her condition and insisted that if Katz knew how much caffeine Charged Lemonade contained, she would not have touched it.
In addition to caffeine, Charged Lemonade also contains the stimulant guarana extract as well as nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar.
The family claims in its complaint that Charged Lemonade is “defective in design” and a “dangerous energy drink.”
Panera Bread, which was unaware of Katz’s death until Monday morning, said through a spokesperson that the company is committed to transparency regarding its ingredients and would quickly work to “thoroughly investigate this matter.”
According to NBC News, the medical examiner listed Katz’s cause of death as cardiac arrhythmia brought on due to her long QT syndrome. The medical examiner’s report does not mention Charged Lemonade as a possible contributing factor in her death.
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