Panera Bread is being hit with yet another wrongful death lawsuit after a second person reportedly died after drinking the restaurant chain’s ‘Charged Lemonade’ drink, which contains an enormous heaping of caffeine and guarana extract. The latest incident happened at a Panera Bread in Fleming Island, Florida.
The victim is 46-year-old Dennis Brown, who allegedly consumed three servings of the beverage on Oct. 9. According to NBC News, he had an ‘unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay, and a mild intellectual disability, though it’s unknown if he knew how much caffeine he was drinking.
The FDA recommends limiting caffeine consumption to no more than 400 milligrams per day. Panera Bread’s ‘Charged Lemonade’ contains 260 milligrams of caffeine per 20-ounce serving and 390 milligrams per 30-ounce serving. One large already puts us at our recommended limit for the day.
Dennis Brown visited Panera Bread often – it was one of his favorite places to eat after getting off work (he worked at a nearby supermarket). In addition to the three servings he had on the day of his death (it was in a self-serve dispenser), investigators believe he ordered it seven times in the past two weeks.
His official cause of death, listed on his death certificate, is ‘cardiac arrest due to hypertensive disease,’ according to NBC News. While he wasn’t one to drink energy drinks due to his various health conditions, he allegedly felt safe drinking the ‘Charged Lemonade’ because it wasn’t marketed as an energy drink.
While Panera Bread released a statement expressing their ‘deep sympathy for Mr. Brown’s family,’ they failed to take responsibility for his death and, instead, defended the safety of their products – including the ‘Charged Lemonade.’ It’s unclear if they plan on marketing the drink differently and more transparently.
“Based on our investigation, we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the company’s products,” the company said in a statement. “We view this lawsuit, which was filed by the same law firm as a previous claim, to be equally without merit. Panera stands firmly by the safety of our products.”
Panera Bread Was Hit With a Similar Lawsuit in September 2022
Six weeks ago, the FDA announced its initial investigation into Panera Bread and their ‘Charged Lemonade’ after a 21-year-old Ivy League student, Sarah Katz, died just hours after consuming the beverage. Many people close to the situation doubt she had any idea how much caffeine was in it.
Katz not only had a heart condition and was advised by her doctors to avoid energy drinks, but she was very conscious of what she put in her body, taught CPR classes, and was a research assistant at a children’s hospital. Her roommate doesn’t think she would’ve drunk it if it were marketed differently.
In response to her death, Panera Bread warned customers to drink the lemonade in moderation and advised children, people sensitive to caffeine, and pregnant/nursing women to avoid it. Obviously, enough wasn’t done to ensure the population was aware of its dangers and now two people are dead as a result.
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Kline & Specter, PC is the law firm representing both families (the Katz family and Brown family). They hope to spread awareness about this product so they can prevent another family losing a loved one. If you plan on ordering a ‘Charged Lemonade’ in the future, do so in moderation or consider an alternative.
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