Panera Bread has settled the first of four separate lawsuits filed against the company related to health problems and deaths allegedly caused by Panera’s now-discontinued Charged Lemonade drinks.
Sarah Katz – who had been diagnosed as a child with Long QT Type 1 Syndrome, which can cause heart arrhythmia — went into cardiac arrest and died in 2022, allegedly after consuming one of Panera’s Charged Lemonade beverages, and not realizing that the drink was caffeinated. She is one of four people who either died or were left with long-term health problems allegedly following the consumption of these caffeinated drinks.
A large portion of the Charged Lemonade mango flavor contains 390 mg of caffeine, which is just shy of the 400 mg maximum dosage of caffeine that is deemed safe for people to drink in a day, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Following the continued controversy with these beverages, the St. Louis, Mo.-based fast-casual company denied any wrongdoing, but added warning labels to stores and online ordering platforms, and removed the beverages from the self-serve areas. Eventually, the Charged Lemonades were discontinued altogether and replaced by new drinks with much lower caffeine levels.
Law firm Kline & Specter, which represents all four Charged Lemonade-related cases, confirmed with NBC News that Katz’s parents, who filed the wrongful death lawsuit, reached a settlement with Panera. Although attorneys with the firm confirmed with media that “the matter has resolved,” no further details were available on the terms of the settlement, and the law firm did not respond to request for comment in time for publication. Panera also did not respond to request for comment on the lawsuit settlement.
The Katz case was originally scheduled to go to trial later this month. The other three related lawsuits filed against Panera still stand.
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