Teenager, 18, sues Panera Bread claiming its highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade caused him to go into cardiac arrest inside a movie theatre – just weeks after controversial drink was axed over spate of deaths

A Pennsylvania teenager is suing Panera Bread, claiming that consuming one of their highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade drinks caused him to go into cardiac arrest.

Luke Adams, 18, consumed the drink along with a chicken sandwich before going to the cinema with friends on March 9 at around 7pm.

Just two and a half hours later, a friend Luke was with noticed him making strange noises and discovered he was in sudden cardiac arrest.

Fortunately, two nurses and a cardiologist were also in theater at the time and began resuscitating him, while an automated external defibrillator was brought in and used to shock him.

Despite an irregular rhythm, Adams’ heart was beating again and he was rushed to the hospital.

Luke then suffered seizures while in the ER and was placed in the intensive care unit, where he was intubated and placed on a ventilator, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Philadelphia.

In Luke’s medical records, doctors specializing in cardiology and neurology noted a “heavy caffeine intake” as a possible trigger for the cardiac arrest and subsequent seizures and specifically mentioned the Charged Lemonade drink.

No other potential structural abnormalities or genetic conditions were found, the doctors said.

“Luke is not the first cardiac arrest person to drink this, but he is the luckiest because he survived and the other two did not,” his mother, Lisa Braverman Feyes, wrote in a Facebook post.

‘Our God is certainly a great God… Two nurses (Dawn Saula) and a cardiologist (Dr. Francis Ergina) happened to be in the theater to resuscitate my son.

“Luke’s best friends acted quickly by screaming for help, putting him on the ground and running to the AED,” she explained.

Braverman and her husband are both paramedics and heard the call for their son coming over the radio.

‘As most of you know, my husband Scott Feyes and I are long-time paramedics and ER registered nurses…never in a million lifetimes did I ever dream that what we have done so many times to strangers would happen to my pass 18 year old precious son.

“As an EMS provider, our radio is always on in case there is a fire or an EMS call we need. When we heard that “18 year old man in the movie theater was unresponsive”. “my world stood still because I knew deep in my heart it was going to be my son,” she wrote.

“Please share far and wide that Panera loaded lemonade can KILL you! It’s not a joke. How many lives have to be lost before something changes?’

The lawsuit alleges that Luke was unaware that the Charged Lemonade was a super energy drink containing high amounts of caffeine, sugar and guarana.”

According to the states, the drink contains 390 milligrams of caffeine without ice and 237 mg of caffeine with ice — the Food and Drug Administration’s total daily recommended limit is 400 mg.

By comparison, a large, 20-ounce dark roast coffee at Panera contains 268 mg of caffeine.

The lawsuit claims that Luke’s cardiac arrest was caused by ventricular fibrillation – a type of heart rhythm disorder that can be caused by caffeine.

“As a result of drinking Panera Charged Lemonade, Luke’s life has been affected physically, emotionally, socially and financially,” the lawsuit states.

Luke has had to have a defibrillator implanted to ensure he doesn’t go into cardiac arrest again, but the whole incident has left him with PTSD and anxiety.

“Panera Charged Lemonade is defective by design because it is a dangerous energy drink,” the lawsuit says.

Luke emphasizes in the lawsuit that he has never had any health problems and has always consumed a limited amount of caffeine.

His lawsuit includes claims of negligence, liability and misrepresentation alleging that Panera failed to identify Charged Lemonade as an energy drink containing stimulants, but instead marketed it as “naturally flavored” and “plant-based.”

Earlier this month, Panera announced it was discontinuing its Charged Lemonade drinks, which have been around for two years.

The company’s “Charged Sips,” which contains three different flavored drinks, comes in a 64 fluid ounce container that contains 1,615 milligrams (mg) to 2,155 mg of caffeine, according to the company’s website.

The company also said it plans to introduce new beverages with low-sugar and low-caffeine options.

The beverage line has been the subject of multiple lawsuits in recent months by people who said the drinks caused health problems.

So far, they have been linked to two wrongful death lawsuits.

One suit was filed by the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old Ivy League student with a heart condition who died in September 2022.

As a child, Katz was diagnosed with the heart rhythm disorder long QT syndrome, which caused her heart to beat irregularly (arrhythmia).

She had managed her condition by taking medication and limiting caffeine, according to legal documents.

The second was from the family of a 46-year-old Florida man, David Brown, who died in October.

Brown went into cardiac arrest and died on October 9 after drinking three Charged Lemonades at his local Panera.

He was found unconscious on the sidewalk and pronounced dead at the scene on Fleming Island.

Brown’s family said Brown had high blood pressure and did not drink energy drinks, but believed Charged Sips were safe because they were not advertised as energy drinks.

According to the attorney representing the family, Brown had a habit of ordering three drinks in a row, and had consumed three charged lemonades with his dinner on the day of his death.

The lawsuit detailed how Brown ordered at least seven Charged Lemonades over a two-week period before his death.

A third lawsuit was filed in January by Lauren Skerritt, a 28-year-old from Rhode Island, who claimed the drink left her with “permanent” heart damage.

After news of the initial lawsuit emerged, Panera posted more detailed disclosures at all of its restaurants and on its website, warning customers to consume the drinks in moderation.

The chain also stated that they were not recommended for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers or people sensitive to caffeine.

Panera did not say whether the drinks were discontinued because of the lawsuits or health concerns.