Panera Bread is once again in hot water after another customer died after allegedly consuming its caffeinated ‘charged lemonade’ drink.
The brand is now facing a second lawsuit for the wrongful death of a 46-year-old Florida man, Dennis Brown.
According to Time, he passed away in October after having three servings of the ‘charged lemonades.’
Panera Bread Might Not Come Out Of This Unscathed
Brown’s family filed the lawsuit this Monday, claiming he suffered a cardiac arrest as he headed home on October 9 after consuming the drink.
The lawsuit insists that Panera Bread should have known the Lemonade could be risky to kids, breastfeeding and pregnant women, or persons sensitive to caffeine.
Charged Lemonade has more caffeine than a 16-ounce Monster Energy drink and a 12-ounce Red Bull combined, which is an alarmingly high level.
So, it’s no wonder Panera Bread is getting sued again.
The brand’s first wrongful death lawsuit was in the case of a 21-year-old woman who died after consuming the drink.
In the case of Dennis Brown, the lawsuit revealed that he had ordered the controversial drink at least seven times in two weeks.
The lawsuit added that Brown had a list of medical conditions, including:
- High blood pressure
- Developmental delay
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- A chromosomal disorder causing blurry vision and a mild intellectual disability
The lawsuit also mentioned that Brown believed the charged Lemonade was safe as Panera Bread didn’t advertise it as an energy drink.
“Panera Charged Lemonade is a juice beverage marketed to children and adults alike. This marketing is especially dangerous to a vulnerable population, children and adults who would reasonably believe this product was Lemonade and safe for consumption.”
Panera responded to the lawsuit with a statement showing sympathy for Brown’s family while defending its products’ safety.
The brand noted that it had conducted an investigation and found that Brown’s death wasn’t because of their product.