The Panera Charged Lemonade lawsuits were four product liability cases alleging that the highly caffeinated drink caused two deaths and two serious cardiac injuries. All four were resolved through confidential settlements, the first in October 2024 and the last three dismissed with prejudice on July 7, 2025.1NBC News. Panera Settles Remaining Lawsuits Over Highly Caffeinated Charged Lemonade Panera denied wrongdoing throughout the litigation and removed the drink from its menu nationwide in May 2024.
What Charged Lemonade Was
Panera launched Charged Lemonade in April 2022, alongside a $10.99-per-month “Unlimited Sip Club” subscription that let members take one self-serve drink every two hours with free refills.2PR Newswire. Panera Is the First National Restaurant Company To Offer an Unlimited Self-Serve Beverage Subscription It came in flavors like Mango Yuzu Citrus and Strawberry Lemon Mint, and it was poured from self-serve stations set up next to iced teas and sodas.
A large 30-ounce cup originally contained 390 milligrams of caffeine, close to the 400-milligram daily maximum the FDA considers safe for healthy adults, plus guarana extract and green coffee extract as added stimulants.3NBC News. Panera Adds Warning to Caffeinated Lemonade in Stores After Lawsuit Over Customer’s Death Panera marketed the drink as “plant-based and clean” with caffeine comparable to its dark roast coffee. The plaintiffs later argued that comparison understated the actual caffeine by more than 100 milligrams.
The Two Deaths
Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, had long QT syndrome type 1, a heart-rhythm condition her doctors had told her to manage by avoiding energy drinks.4USA Today. Panera Bread Charged Lemonade Lawsuit Settlement According to her family, she thought “charged” referred to electrolytes. On September 10, 2022, she bought a Charged Lemonade at a Philadelphia Panera. Hours later she went into cardiac arrest at a restaurant with friends, suffered a second arrest at the hospital, and died.5NBC News. Panera Lawsuit Charged Lemonade Sarah Katz Death Her parents filed a wrongful death suit in October 2023 in Philadelphia. Panera moved to dismiss, and a judge denied the motion.
Dennis Brown, 46, of Fleming Island, Florida, had high blood pressure and a chromosomal disorder and did not drink energy drinks. According to the suit his family filed, he had been drinking Charged Lemonade from a Panera near his workplace for six days.6ABC News. Panera Bread Faces Wrongful Death Suit Over Caffeinated Charged Lemonade On October 9, 2023, he drank three of them at one visit, refilling his cup twice, and collapsed while walking home. His cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest due to hypertensive disease.7NBC News. Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade Blamed in Second Death, Lawsuit Alleges His family sued in Delaware in December 2023.8CNN. Panera Charged Lemonade Blamed in Second Death
The Two Cardiac Injury Cases
Lauren Skerritt, 28, said she drank two and a half Charged Lemonades in April 2023 and then had heart palpitations and fainting episodes serious enough to land her in critical care. She was diagnosed with new-onset atrial fibrillation and reported continuing symptoms including rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, brain fog, weakness, and a left-hand tremor. She sued in Delaware in January 2024.9ABC News. Third Lawsuit Against Panera Bread Alleges Caffeinated Lemonade Led to Cardiac Injuries
Luke Adams, an 18-year-old high school junior from Monroeville, Pennsylvania, bought a large Mango Yuzu Citrus Charged Lemonade on March 9, 2024. Hours later he went into cardiac arrest at a movie theater, where two nurses and a cardiologist who happened to be present performed CPR and used an AED to revive him.10People. Panera Charged Lemonade Lawsuit Teen Cardiac Arrest He suffered two seizures at the hospital, was intubated for about 48 hours, and was placed on a ventilator. Medical notes cited in his lawsuit pointed to “heavy caffeine intake” as a possible trigger, and testing found no underlying heart abnormalities. He now has an implanted defibrillator and has been diagnosed with PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder.11Today. Panera Charged Lemonade Cardiac Arrest Teen His family filed suit in May 2024.12WTAE. Panera Charged Lemonade Lawsuit Cardiac Arrest Teen Pennsylvania All four plaintiffs were represented by attorney Elizabeth Crawford of the Philadelphia firm Kline & Specter.13Restaurant Business Online. Panera Settles First Charged Lemonade Lawsuit
What the Lawsuits Argued
All four were product liability cases built on the same core theories.
- Failure to warn. The plaintiffs said in-store signage did not adequately disclose the caffeine and stimulant content, and the self-serve setup meant no employee ever cautioned a customer.
- Misleading marketing. Branding the drink as “plant-based and clean” with caffeine comparable to dark roast coffee understated the risk, and the Sip Club refill structure implied it was safe to drink repeatedly.
- Defective design. Several complaints called the beverage “unreasonably dangerous” and “defective in design,” arguing its caffeine concentration exceeded standard energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster. The Adams complaint added a defective manufacturing claim, arguing that because employees mixed the drinks at individual stores, concentrations were not controlled.
- Harm to vulnerable customers. Each case argued the lack of warning was especially dangerous for people with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or caffeine sensitivity, who had no reason to think a lemonade was effectively an energy drink.
How Panera Responded
Panera expressed sympathy after the deaths but disputed the legal claims. In December 2023 it called the suits “equally without merit” and said it “stands firmly by the safety of our products.”14The Hill. Panera To Drop Charged Lemonade After Multiple Lawsuits In court filings the company denied wrongdoing.
Operationally, though, the drink changed. In late October 2023 Panera added warnings in stores, on its website, and on its app, saying the drink contained caffeine, should be consumed in moderation, and was not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or people sensitive to caffeine.3NBC News. Panera Adds Warning to Caffeinated Lemonade in Stores After Lawsuit Over Customer’s Death The drinks were moved from self-serve stations to behind the counter. The company also updated its nutrition labels to reflect caffeine content with ice included, which brought the listed amount for a large down from 390 milligrams to as low as 237 without any apparent change to the recipe.15NBC News. Panera Says It Is Phasing Out Controversial Charged Lemonade
On May 7, 2024, Panera announced it would remove Charged Lemonade from its menu nationwide, replacing it with lower-caffeine options like blueberry lavender lemonade and pomegranate hibiscus tea.16CNN. Panera Charged Lemonade Discontinued The company framed the move as part of a “recent menu transformation” driven by guest feedback and did not publicly link the decision to the lawsuits.
Regulatory Attention
The FDA said in October 2023 it was “gathering information” about Sarah Katz’s death, but no formal investigation or enforcement action has been made public.3NBC News. Panera Adds Warning to Caffeinated Lemonade in Stores After Lawsuit Over Customer’s Death In February 2024, the Consumer Federation of America sent the FDA a letter arguing the drink’s caffeine concentration was roughly double the agency’s limit for cola-type beverages and asked for enforcement action.17Consumer Federation of America. CFA Urges FDA To Investigate Safety Determination Behind Panera Charged Lemonade No public FDA response has been reported.
How the Cases Ended
The Katz family settled first, on October 7, 2024, days before the case was set to go to trial. Elizabeth Crawford confirmed the resolution but said she was “not permitted to share any other details.”18NBC News. Panera Settles First Plaintiff in Charged Lemonade Wrongful Death Suits
The three remaining cases, filed by the Brown, Skerritt, and Adams families, were listed in court records as dismissed with prejudice on July 7, 2025, meaning they cannot be refiled. Crawford confirmed that “the matters have all been resolved” and declined to share further details, and Panera also declined to comment.19Nation’s Restaurant News. Panera Bread Settles Remainder of Charged Lemonade Lawsuits The financial terms of all four settlements are confidential.