An Ivy League student with a complex heart condition drank one of Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonades, not knowing the results would be fatal. 

A large cup of the Charged Lemonade contains more caffeine than cans of RedBull and Monster Energy drinks combined, according to the lawsuit. The legal complaint, filed October 23, 2023, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, explains how the beverage is a “dangerous energy drink” and continuously argues that Panera failed to warn customers about the ingredients used in the product appropriately. The suit was filed on behalf of the parents of Sarah Katz, 21, a University of Pennsylvania student who taught CPR in underserved communities and had been a research assistant at a children's hospital. Katz had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 and avoided energy drinks at all costs due to recommendations from her doctors, according to the filing. Katz purchased the Charged Lemonade from a Panera Bread restaurant in Philadelphia on September 10, 2022, according to the suit. She went into cardiac arrest several hours later and claimed her roommate and close friend, Victoria Conroy.  “She was very very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe,” said Conroy. “I guarantee if Sara had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a ten-foot pole.” 

In a statement released the day of the filing, a Panera spokesperson said, “We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sara Katz, and our hearts go out to her family. At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.” The Charged Lemonade was “offered side by side with all of Panera's non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks”. It was displayed to consumers as a “plant-based and clean” beverage that contained as much caffeine as the restaurant's dark roast coffee, according to pictures taken of both the beverage dispenser in the store and the menu. That seems not to be the case due to the Charged Lemonade containing 390 milligrams of caffeine, which is more caffeine than any size of the dark roast coffee according to Panera's website. The lemonade also contains guarana extract, another stimulant equivalent to 30 teaspoons of sugar