The family of a 21-year-old woman has filed a lawsuit against fast-food restaurant chain Panera Bread, claiming she died after dinking their Charged Lemonade, NBC News reported. Sarah Katz was studying in University of Pennsylvania student last year when she suffered cardiac arrest hours after purchasing the lemony beverage, according to the case filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Monday. Ms Katz had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1, a heart-signalling disorder, the outlet further said.
So, she avoided energy drinks as per her doctor's recommendation, the family's lawsuit said.
Her college roommate, Victoria Rose Conroy, also told NBC News that Ms Katz "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," she told the outlet.
Ms Katz ordered the large Charged Lemonade on September 10, 2022, but she did not know that it contained 390 milligrams of caffeine - more than three times of the 111 milligrams found in a Red Bull can.
She consumed the drink thinking it was a regular lemonade, with "reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink", said the complaint.
But in the same day, she "suffered a cardiac arrest" while dining with friends at a restaurant in her apartment building, the document further said.
The Charged Lemonade also contained guarana extract, which is a stimulant, as well as the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar, the family claimed.
The company, meanwhile, said it is sad to learn about the death of Ms Katz. A company spokesperson said the company "strongly believes in transparency around our ingredients."
"We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter," the company representative told New York Post.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, adults should have no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is equivalent to about four or five cups of coffee.
