Panera Bread has settled three remaining lawsuits that it confronted over its extremely caffeinated Charged Lemonade, a beverage blamed for a number of deaths and everlasting accidents.
Plaintiffs’ legal professional Elizabeth Crawford, a accomplice on the Philadelphia regulation agency Kline & Specter, PC, confirmed Wednesday that “the issues have all been resolved.” She stated she couldn’t remark any additional.
Panera additionally confirmed the authorized developments, which had been reported first by NBC Information, however declined to reply any extra questions.
Charged Lemonade made headlines in October 2023 when the mother and father of a 21-year-old College of Pennsylvania scholar with a coronary heart situation filed a lawsuit alleging that their daughter, Sarah Katz, suffered a deadly cardiac arrest after consuming a cup of the drink.
Panera settled that swimsuit final October, which was the primary of at the very least 4 that had been filed in opposition to the bakery-cafe chain. A second lawsuit alleged that the drink triggered the loss of life of 46-year-old Florida resident Dennis Brown after he drank three Charged Lemonades.
The opposite two authorized complaints alleged the beverage resulted in critical cardiac issues in two beforehand wholesome folks: 28-year-old Lauren Skerritt of Rhode Island, and Luke Adams, a Pennsylvania teenager whose lawsuit stated he needed to be resuscitated hours after he drank a Charged Lemonade.
Crawford represented the plaintiffs in all 4 circumstances. Court docket data confirmed the remaining three lawsuits had been listed on Monday as dismissed with prejudice, which means the circumstances can’t be refiled once more in the identical courts. The circumstances had beforehand been scheduled to go to trial.
The lawsuits had referred to Charged Lemonade as a “harmful vitality drink” and accused Panera of failing to appropriately warn prospects about its components. When served with out ice, a big, 30-fluid-ounce measurement contained 390 milligrams of caffeine — simply barely below the 400 milligrams of caffeine that the Meals and Drug Administration says wholesome adults can safely eat in a day.
Charged Lemonade additionally contained guarana extract, one other stimulant.
Panera has denied wrongdoing in court docket paperwork. Following the lawsuit over Katz’s loss of life, the chain made quite a few adjustments, together with shifting the beverage behind the counter so it was not a self-serve providing. It additionally added indicators cautioning that Charged Lemonade ought to be consumed sparsely and was not advisable for kids, folks delicate to caffeine, or pregnant or nursing ladies.
Panera eliminated the controversial beverage from its shops nationwide in Might 2024, which it stated was part of a “latest menu transformation.”
Madelyn Urabe contributed.
