A female athlete is suing Panera Bread over claims she suffered heart problems caused by the loaded lemonade that can contain as much caffeine as three cans of Red Bull.
Lauren Skerritt, 28, of Smithfield, Rhode Island, became the third person to file a lawsuit against the chain after two others suffered fatal heart attacks.
The obstacle course racer claimed she had an irregular heartbeat the day after drinking two and a half servings of Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade on April 8.
Skerritt claims she was rushed to the emergency room on April 9 and doctors diagnosed her with atrial fibrillation, which can lead to a stroke and other complications, the lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court on Tuesday alleges tightened.
It comes after the families of Sarah Katz, 21, and Dennis Brown, 46, sued Panera over allegations that the Charged Lemonade is responsible for their fatal heart attacks.
Sarah Katz (pictured) died on September 10, 2022, just hours after consuming a large loaded lemonade from a Panera in Philadelphia. Since the age of five, she also suffered from a heart condition called Long QT Syndrome. The condition causes heart rhythm abnormalities and people who suffer from it are told to have moderate amounts of caffeine. Her parents have sued the restaurant for falsely advertising the energy drink, which contains 390 milligrams of caffeine
In addition to lemonade’s high caffeine content, a large serving of it also contains 98 grams of sugar. The company has marketed their loaded lemonades as “Naturally flavored, plant-based and clean with about the same amount of caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee.” A large Panera Dark Roast Coffee contains 268 milligrams of caffeine.
Skerritt purchased Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade at a store in Greenville on April 8 and claims she developed an irregular heartbeat the next day, which caused her to be rushed to the hospital.
A large loaded lemonade contains 390 milligrams of caffeine, which is more than a Red Bull and Monster energy drink combined.
The lawsuit alleges that she has since had “recurrent episodes of rapid heartbeat that occur suddenly and without pattern.”
“Lauren continues to suffer from supraventricular tachycardia with associated shortness of breath, palpitations, brain fog, difficulty thinking and concentrating, body tremors and weakness,” according to the complaint, first seen by NBC News.
She and her husband have had to postpone plans to have a child because “she will have a high-risk pregnancy and may develop complications during the pregnancy,” according to the lawsuit.
UPenn student Katz died on September 10, 2022, just hours after consuming a large loaded lemonade from a Panera in Philadelphia. She also suffered from a heart condition.
Her family sued the company in October, alleging that Panera failed to properly warn consumers about the ingredients in its “dangerous energy drink.”
Katz’s parents have filed a lawsuit against the popular American restaurant chain in an effort to help others understand the dangers of the drink.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the defendant lemonade was “offered alongside all Panera non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated beverages.”
It also stated that the drink was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage option that contained the same amount of caffeine as the brand’s dark roast coffee.
Nutritional data on Panera’s website suggests otherwise, as a large dark roast coffee weighs 268 milligrams.
A large loaded lemonade, the equivalent of 30 fluid ounces, also contains an astonishing 98 grams of sugar in one serving, compared to a can of Coca-Cola which contains 39 grams of sugar.
The lawsuit stated, “These unregulated beverages contained no warning of potentially dangerous effects, not even the life-threatening effects on blood pressure, heart rate and/or brain function.”
Katz, who was originally from Jersey City, was diagnosed at the age of five with Long QT Syndrome, a condition that causes heart rhythm abnormalities.
She regularly avoided caffeinated drinks and made regular visits to doctors who concluded “everything was normal,” said Elizabeth Crawford, the attorney representing the case.
Brown’s family filed a second wrongful death lawsuit against Panera Bread after he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while consuming the chain’s highly caffeinated “Charged Lemonade.”
Their lawsuit claims he went into cardiac arrest on October 9, just after leaving his local branch of Panera Bread on Fleming Island.
He was found unconscious on the sidewalk and pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Brown, who lived with developmental disabilities and high blood pressure, had started consistently ordering the drinks three weeks before his death.