In connection to its “Charged Lemonade,” Panera Bread has been sued again, for the second time.
The wrongful death lawsuit was filed on Monday. It claims that Panera’s lemonade beverage led to the death of 46-year-old Dennis Brown, of Florida. He had gone into cardiac arrest following his departure from the restaurant.
The lawsuit states that Brown drank the lemonade as he ate his dinner at a Panera Bread that was located close to his place of employment. He died as he walked to his residence.
The suit also says that Brown had consumed the lemonade for six days and was a member of Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club. This allowed him to order as many drinks as he desired.
Panera’s menu notes that a large charged lemonade contains 390 milligrams of caffeine. This is almost at the 400-milligram daily intake limit set by the FDA.
Additionally, Panera’s 30-ounce charged lemonade also has more caffeine than Red Bull and Monster energy drinks, put together.
Panera Bread released a statement expressing their condolences to Brown’s family. However, they state that they don’t believe that his death was caused by their products.
In October, the first lawsuit was filed against Panera after 21-year-old Sarah Katz died after consuming the charged lemonades. Because of that, Panera placed a warning on their mobile app that states, “Consume in moderation, not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.”
Katz had a heart condition and usually didn’t consume caffeine. Her friends and family say that she probably didn’t know that the lemonade was caffeinated.
