Grieving NJ parents settle with Panera over ‘killer’ lemonade

⚫ Major outlets mention the settlement

⚫ Concerns 21-year-old girl from New Jersey

⚫ Taken off Panera Bread menu

Panera Bread has reached a settlement with the parents of Jersey City’s Sarah Katz over the now-retired Charged Lemonade.

The 21-year-old student had long QT syndrome type 1, a heart condition, and was told by doctors to not drink energy drinks, according to the lawsuit obtained by NBC News. The legal complaint claims Panera did a poor job with the product’s warning and transparency about the ingredients.

Hours after having the Charged Lemonade, Katz went into cardiac arrest.

“She was very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe. I guarantee if Sarah had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a 10-foot pole,” roommate Victoria Rose Conway said to NBC News.

The outlet says a large had 390 milligrams of caffeine. For comparison, an average 8-ounce coffee has 96 milligrams of caffeine, according to Mayo Clinic.

While a settlement has been reached, multiple sources say further specifics were not provided when they reached out.

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There are still online descriptions of the Charged line of products, said to be “naturally flavored” and “plant-based,” with mention to use in moderation since it contains caffeine; the Panera website also lists the item as “retired.”

Panera Bread’s Charged line has made headlines since its inception but for all the wrong reasons. A total of four lawsuits have surrounded the product, with more than one alleging it caused death, according to NBC News.

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Since the pushback, the chain decided in May to drop the caffeinated drink from its menu.

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