A 46-year-old Floridian met his demise through fatal cardiac arrest shortly after consuming three of these lemonades. This unfortunate incident mirrors the initial case involving a 21-year-old woman, whose parents assert that the copious amounts of sugar and caffeine in the drink led to their daughter's deadly heart attack.
From NBC News:
Dennis Brown, of Fleming Island, Florida, drank three Charged Lemonades from a local Panera on Oct. 9 and then suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on his way home, the suit says.
Brown, 46, had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay and a mild intellectual disability. He lived independently, frequently stopping at Panera after his shifts at a supermarket, the legal complaint says. Because he had high blood pressure, he did not consume energy drinks, it adds.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Brown’s mother, sister and brother less than two months after Panera was hit with a separate lawsuit regarding Sarah Katz, an Ivy League student with a heart condition who died in September 2022 after she drank a Charged Lemonade. That lawsuit, first reported by NBC News, called the beverage a “dangerous energy drink” and argued that Panera failed to appropriately warn consumers about its ingredients, which include the stimulant guarana extract.
With two lawsuits now aimed at Panera, one can't help but question why this item hasn't been yanked off the menu.
While I assume the company's legal squad is doing their best to dodge disaster, if this beverage is genuinely risky, why is it still up for grabs?
