Panera drink blamed for killing college student who avoided caffeine

(CNN) — A 21-year-old woman with a heart condition died after consuming a heavily caffeinated lemonade at Panera Bread, her parents alleged in a wrongful-death suit against the restaurant chain.

In September 2022, Sarah Katz, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, went into cardiac arrest after drinking Charged Lemonade at a Panera restaurant near the Philadelphia campus. She died after being transported to a hospital and suffering a second arrest, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Monday morning.

Katz’s parents are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

“We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family,” Panera told CNN in a statement. “At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”

In an autopsy report obtained by CNN, the medical examiner cites Katz’s cause of death as cardiac arrhythmia due to long QT syndrome, a disorder that can cause fast and irregular heartbeats.

Katz was diagnosed with the syndrome when she was 5, and managed symptoms by taking medication and limiting caffeine, the lawsuit states. She never knowingly consumed energy drinks and would not have consumed Charged Lemonade had she realized it contained so much caffeine, the suit contends.

Katz was “reasonably confident it was a traditional lemonade and/or electrolyte sports drink containing a reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink,” the lawsuit says.

Panera says its 30-ounce size of Charged Lemonade contains 390 mg of caffeine — similar to a 16-ounce Starbucks blonde roast, two shots of 5-Hour Energy, or about five cans of Red Bull.