Panera is paying up. One year after the Sarah Katz’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the eatery, Panera settled with the family, their lawyer, Elizabeth Crawford, told multiple outlets. Crawford declined to disclose the settlement amount.
Katz, who was a University of Pennsylvania student, died in September 2022 after consuming Panera’s Charged Lemonade. She was 21.
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The Ivy Leaguer suffered from a heart condition known as long QT syndrome type 1. She avoided caffeine as a result. In her parents’ lawsuit, they claimed the caffeinated Charged Lemonade was a “dangerous energy drink.”
However, the lawsuit alleged that the beverage was advertised as “plant-based and clean” and was placed near “non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” in the restaurant.
While Panera allegedly purported that the drink had as much caffeine as a dark roast coffee, it actually had more caffeine than two energy drinks combined, the lawsuit claimed. It also included guarana extract, a stimulant equal to 30 teaspoons of sugar, per the filing.
Panera previously said it planned to “thoroughly investigate” Katz’s “tragic” death, which they were “very saddened” by.
Amid backlash, Panera updated Charged Lemonade’s nutrition information and moved it behind the counter, before doing away with the drink all together.
Panera, who has yet to speak out about the settlement, is facing three other lawsuits related to Charged Lemonade, NBC News reported. One suit is on behalf of a Florida man who died after consuming the beverage, while the others allege that the drink caused permanent heart injuries.