Panera Bread has reportedly settled one of four lawsuits related to the now-discontinued Charged Lemonade.
NBC News reported this week that the fast-casual chain has reached a settlement with the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old college student with a heart condition who died last year after drinking the caffeinated lemonade.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Panera phased the Charged Lemonade line off the menu earlier this year.
Katz, who avoided energy drinks because of her heart condition, went into cardiac arrest hours after drinking a Charged Lemonade at Panera. Attorney Elizabeth Crawford, a partner in the Philadelphia-based law firm Kline & Specter, represented the Katz family, as well as three more plaintiffs who alleged harm as a result of drinking the lemonade.
Other lawsuits include a filing in Delaware by the family of David Brown, who alleged the 46-year-old died of a cardiac event after drinking the lemonade at a Panera in Florida.
In another case, an 18-year-old with no known heart issues reportedly went into cardiac arrest in March after drinking a large Charged Lemonade. He survived, but spent six days in the hospital.
And a 28-year-old occupational therapist in Rhode Island also claimed the lemonade energy drinks caused atrial fibrillation, a condition causing irregular heartbeats.
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