Popular bakery chain accused of second death tied to caffeinated lemonade drink
A popular chain bakery/cafe is being blamed for a second death connected to their highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade, according to a new lawsuit.
Dennis Brown, of Fleming Island, Florida, drank three Charged Lemonades from his local Panera Bread and then suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on his way home, the suit states.
The 46-year-old would frequently stop off at the cafe after his shifts at a supermarket. He had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay and a mild intellectual disability.
His is the second death linked to Charged Lemonade. The parents of 21-year-old Sarah Katz, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, filed a lawsuit against Panera Bread after their daughter passed away in September 2022. The young woman suffered two cardiac arrests shortly after drinking the "Panera Charged Lemonade" at a local store, reports NBC.
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Dispensers for Charged Lemondade (Gado via Getty Images)The restaurant has since revised the warning for the drink to highlight its caffeine content, stating it has as much caffeine as their Dark Roast Coffee. The warning emphasises moderation and advises against consumption for children, individuals sensitive to caffeine, and pregnant or nursing women.
The latest lawsuit was filed on behalf of Dennis' mum, sister and brother.
Charged Lemonade is advertised as “Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee.” But the legal complaint says that the large 30-fluid-ounce serving of Charged Lemonade has more caffeine in total than any size of Panera’s dark roast coffee.
Panera Bread stores can be found across the US (nbcnews)The large cup contains more than the caffeine content of standard cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined, the complaints say. It also says the drink has the equivalent of 30 teaspoons of sugar.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, healthy adults can safely consume 400 milligrams of caffeine each day.
It is unclear if Dennis knew how much caffeine was in the drink, which at the time of his death was available in sel-serve dispensers and “offered side-by-side with all of the store’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks,” the suit says.
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The parents of Sarah Katz also launched a lawsuit after her death (wsbtv)He died from cardiac arrest due to hypertensive disease, according to a death certificate/ Panera said that it expressed “our deep sympathy for Mr. Brown’s family."
A statement from the company read: “Based on our investigation 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.”
Elizabeth Crawford, a partner at the Philadelphia-based law firm Kline & Specter, PC, is representing both Mr Brown’s family and Ms Katz’s family.
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She described Dennis as a “vital member” of his family who “always made everyone smile.”
“This is a vulnerable population that I think the community at large should help protect. And I feel like Panera failed to do that for Dennis,” she said. “Dennis’ family, just like the Katz family, hopes that this message gets out to prevent this from happening to another Dennis.”
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