(Image via panerabread.com)

Editor: Alexandra D’Eon

Email: adeon@umassd.edu 

With more than double the amount of caffeine as a Red Bull, Panera’s charged lemonades packed a punch to unassuming customers. 

A large serving of the lemonade contains up to 390 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, nearly four times the amount in a standard eight-ounce cup of coffee.

Despite these high levels, the lawsuit claims Panera failed to provide clear in-store warnings or labels about the risks of consuming such large quantities of caffeine.

The failure to disclose this led to the tragic death of a 21-year-old Ivy League student, Sarah Katz. 

Sarah Katz, a University of Pennsylvania student with a pre-existing heart condition called Long QT Syndrome, passed away shortly after drinking the lemonade. 

According to Mayo Clinic, Long QT Syndrome “is a heart rhythm disorder that causes fast, chaotic heartbeats. The irregular heartbeats can be life-threatening. LQTS affects the electrical signals that travel through the heart and cause it to beat.”

Her family’s lawsuit argues that had Katz been made aware of the caffeine content, she would not have consumed the drink, given her heart condition.

Excessive caffeine consumption can lead to serious health risks, including heart palpitations, anxiety, and, in extreme cases, heart failure. For individuals with pre-existing conditions such as Katz’s Long QT Syndrome, high doses of caffeine can exacerbate underlying heart problems.

With the knowledge of this diagnosis, it’s very unlikely Sarah Katz would’ve ever consumed the drink if she had known about its high caffeine content.

Sarah’s close friend and roommate at the University of Pennsylvania, Victoria Rose Conroy, told NBC News, “She was very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe. I guarantee if Sarah had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a 10-foot pole.”

The lawsuits filed against Panera could have widespread implications for the food and beverage industry. Legal experts suggest that if Panera is found liable, other companies may be pressured to improve transparency about the contents of their products, particularly when it comes to caffeine levels.

Following the lawsuit, Panera changed the display of the charged lemonades, removing them from the self-serve drink area and moving them to behind the counter.

The lawsuit was originally filed in October of 2023 and was supposed to go to trial at the end of this month. 

While Sarah Katz is the most well-known and followed story regarding the lemonade controversy charged, three other plaintiffs filed suit against the bread company. 

The three other plaintiffs suing Panera are Dennis Brown, Lauren Skerritt, and Luke Adams.

Dennis Brown, 46, also passed away following a cardiac arrest from the charged lemonade in October 2023. His family filed a lawsuit against Panera in December of that same year.

Lauren Skerritt, 28, has claimed to have suffered long-term effects from drinking the lemonades in April 2023. Skerritt worked as an occupational therapist and had no prior heart conditions, but after consuming the beverage began to suffer from heart palpitations. 

Luke Adams, 18, suffered two seizures and a cardiac arrest in March 2023 after drinking the lemonade. Fortunately, Adams survived the incident, and his family filed a lawsuit against Panera shortly after.

Elizabeth Crawford is the attorney representing all four plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Last week, she announced that Panera reached a settlement in Sarah Katz’s case.

The settlement was reached after months of legal proceedings, but neither side disclosed the specific terms. Elizabeth Crawford expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating that “the matter has resolved.” 

Panera has not admitted liability in Katz’s death and has not issued a statement blatantly addressing either the deaths caused by the lemonades or the lawsuits they’re currently facing.

All a Panera spokesperson had to say regarding the lemonades being removed from the menu was that there was a “recent menu transformation” and that the company “will be focusing next on the broad array of beverages… which includes low sugar and low-caffeine options.”

This lawsuit is ongoing with three other plaintiffs that will either reach a settlement or go to trial.

 
For our first reporting on this case, click here.