Dispensers for Charged Lemondade, a caffeinated lemonade drink, at Panera Bread, Walnut Creek, California, March 27, 2023. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
<p><strong>Panera</strong> is at the center of a lawsuit involving one of their signature &#8216;Charged Lemonades.&#8217; The parents of <strong>Sarah Katz</strong> are suing the company after their 21-year-old passed away within hours of having the caffeinated drink.</p>
<p>In a statement to <a href="https://people.com/parents-sue-panera-claiming-its-charged-lemonade-contributed-to-death-of-their-daughter-with-a-heart-condition-8369167" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PEOPLE</a>, the company said it&#8217;s investigating the situation.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family,&#8221; a Panera spokesperson told the outlet. &#8220;At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear which of the drink&#8217;s variations Katz consumed. However, Panera&#8217;s website does <a href="https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/lemonade-chargers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offer ingredient insight</a> about the three available at this time. Strawberry Lemon Mint and Mango Yuzu Citrus in a 20 fl oz contain 260 mg of caffeine, while Fuji Apple Cranberry contains 259 mg. In a 30 fl oz cup, those milligrams range between 389-390 mg.</p>
<p>In December 2022, the &#8216;Charged Lemonade&#8217; gained viral fame after a TikToker compared the mango version to a shot of espresso. In the video, while hyped on the drink, she explained why it &#8220;should be illegal.&#8221;</p>
<p><amp-tiktok data-src="7174882353871899947" width="325" height="575"></amp-tiktok></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">What Allegedly Happened To Sarah Katz After Having The Panera Lemonade?</h3>
<p>PEOPLE pulled the lawsuit documents, including the medical examiner&#8217;s report, which says Katz passed away on September 10, 2022. The cause of death was reportedly &#8220;cardiac arrhythmia due to Long QT syndrome.&#8221;</p>
<p>Katz was reportedly aware of her diagnosis. Her family first learned of her LQT Type 1 and the irregular heart rhythms it causes when she was five.</p>
<p>However, Katz&#8217;s parents allege that when she consumed the Panera drink, she believed it was &#8220;a traditional lemonade and/or electrolyte sports drink.&#8221; They also claim Sarah believed the drink had &#8220;a reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hours after Katz drank the Panera juice, she reportedly suffered from cardiac arrest while out with friends. After arriving at a local Pennsylvania hospital, Katz suffered another cardiac arrest and died.</p>
<p>The lawsuit labels the signature drink as &#8220;unreasonably dangerous.&#8221; Sarah Katz&#8217;s parents hope to &#8220;make the public aware&#8221; of the drink &#8220;to save lives,&#8221; per their attorney, Elizabeth Crawford.</p>
<p>There are no additional details on the lawsuit at this time.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/family-lawsuit-google-maps-north-carolina-father-drive-bridge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Family Accuses Google Maps Of Instructing North Carolina Father To Drive Across Collapsed Bridge In New Lawsuit</a></h5>
 <div class="wpra-reactions-wrap wpra-plugin-container" style="justify-content: center;;"> <div class="wpra-reactions-container" data-ver="1.3.10" data-post_id="148367" data-show_count="true" data-enable_share="onclick" data-behavior="regular" data-animation="true" data-share_url="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/parents-daughter-sue-panera-lemonade-lawsuit/" data-secure="b58d235200"> <div class="wpra-call-to-action" style="color: #000000;font-size: 25px;font-weight: 600;">What Do You Think Roomies?</div> <div class="wpra-reactions wpra-static-emojis size-medium" style="border-color: #ffffff;border-width: 0px;border-radius: 50px;border-style: solid;background: #ffffff;">					<div class="emoji-8 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="8"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-10 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="10"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-4 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="4"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-5 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="5"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-2 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="2"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-7 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="7"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-12 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="12"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div> </div> <div class="wpra-share-wrap wpra-share-buttons-bordered" style="">				 </div> <!-- end of share buttons -->			 </div> <!-- end of reactions container --> </div> <!-- end of reactions wrap -->		
